as in missioner
a person who is sent especially to a foreign country to do religious work (such as converting people to the religion or ministering to the sick)
The missionaries sent to the island were ultimately unsuccessful in converting the native residents.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in apostolic
relating to missionaries or their work
The church organizes missionary trips to a variety of countries.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of missionary
Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
Muslim traders and missionaries began traveling to Hausa lands in the twelfth century, and much of the society gradually converted to Islam.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 14 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
The governor and first lady Maria Lee, both devout Christians, have been involved in missionary work and have helped refugees in the Nashville area.
—Kelly Puente, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Noun
The story of two mismatched missionaries spreading the gospel won nine Tony Awards in 2011, including for best musical.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
Muslim traders and missionaries began traveling to Hausa lands in the twelfth century, and much of the society gradually converted to Islam.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The book is narrated by a young journalist, interviewing an elderly woman about her life as a missionary teacher in 1930s Jaffa.
—Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
The governor and first lady Maria Lee, both devout Christians, have been involved in missionary work and have helped refugees in the Nashville area.
—Kelly Puente, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionary
Noun
-
Kelley Hudlow, missioner for clergy formation for the diocese, told NBC affiliate WVTM of Birmingham soon after the shooting that church leaders were trying to learn more.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
17 June 2022
-
Eby will continue to serve as outreach missioner at the Church of the Nativity and as priest-in-charge at St. Timothy’s Church in Athens.—
al,
al,
1 Dec. 2020
Adjective
-
View Comments The Friday event, which took place inside the Vatican’s apostolic palace, included a roundtable discussion on AI ethics and governance.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
-
The Friday event, which took place inside the Vatican’s apostolic palace, included a roundtable discussion on AI ethics and governance.—
CNN.com,
Mercury News,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
The agreement requires Thailand to release 18 Cambodian soldiers held prisoner and for both countries to begin removing heavy weapons from the border.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Even then, getting the stories of the rank-and-file soldiers can be a challenge.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Another friend was an evangelical pastor who grew up in the Jim Crow South believing that Black people were subhuman.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Attendance at some evangelical churches in the Valley has increased, but whether that continues remains to be seen.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The man, named as 69-year-old Morimasa Hibino by the Japanese embassy, was spotted in the ditch next to the monument about seven meters (23 feet) below the street level by a priest who alerted authorities.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The paranormal investigators claim to have been summoned by a priest named Father Cooke when two young women — Donna and Angie — wanted to perform an exorcism to get rid of the spirit of a dead 7-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had inhabited their doll.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
How can a kindly, God-fearing, and ascetic novice monk compete against that?—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Lott is still a priest but is no longer a monk at Delbarton, nor is he affiliated with the school.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Missionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionary. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share