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
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 June 2026
Italian Jesuit missionary Felipe Salvador Gilij, who lived along the Orinoco River in Venezuela in the mid-18th century, is considered the first to document Indigenous leaf-wrapping practices.
—Sophia Rey, JSTOR Daily, 28 May 2026
Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 20 May 2026
Christian missionary narratives In later centuries, these anti-Muslim depictions were reworked to justify colonialism.
—Anna Piela, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Noun
Scholars say 16th-century Catholic missionaries introduced Europe’s Grim Reaper figure to Mexico’s indigenous population, believing fear of death would instill a desire for salvation and convert them to Christianity.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 June 2026
Italian Jesuit missionary Felipe Salvador Gilij, who lived along the Orinoco River in Venezuela in the mid-18th century, is considered the first to document Indigenous leaf-wrapping practices.
—Sophia Rey, JSTOR Daily, 28 May 2026
Adjective
His colleague, Matt Allison -- the executive director of Serge, the Christian missionary group Stafford works for -- told ABC News that the doctor has been receiving monoclonal antibodies during his hospitalization.
—Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 20 May 2026
Christian missionary narratives In later centuries, these anti-Muslim depictions were reworked to justify colonialism.
—Anna Piela, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionary
Noun
-
In 1976, the residence was redesigned as a retirement home for church missioners.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
10 June 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Ciro de Luca/Pool via REUTERS Ciro de Luca / Pool via REUTERS Spanish media said the pope would speak later on Monday with victims at the Vatican embassy in Madrid, formally known as the apostolic nunciature.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
-
On June 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II set out from Rome on an apostolic journey, as papal trips away from the Vatican are called.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon overnight Friday in the first Israeli deaths since the signing of the Iran ceasefire deal.—
Lou Robinson,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
-
Civilians in the area have not been instructed to evacuate but have faced checkpoints and tension, with occasional clashes between Israeli soldiers and villagers.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Keith also co-founded the nondenominational evangelical church and is vice chairman of its elder board.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
-
White evangelical churches—revivalists, under Sutton’s classification system—experienced remarkable growth, while liberal mainline Protestant churches withered.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Jerry Brown left seminary before becoming a priest but made his Jesuit education central to his political identity — especially his frugality, environmentalism and preference for rehabilitation over incarceration.—
Joe Mathews,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
Or the priest electing to stay in the city and open his doors to at-risk youths even as most of his flock had fled to the suburbs.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Once a year, Akagawa takes the letters to a nearby Buddhist temple, where a monk prays over them.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
-
The award-winning scholar was the first American ordained as a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition after studying under the 14th Dalai Lama, close friend Tenzin Gyatso, as noted in a 1996 New York Times profile.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Missionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionary. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
