Synonyms of missionary

missionary 1 of 2

noun

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

• missioner
• soldier
• priest
• monk
• apostle
• minister
• preacher
• religious
• evangelist
• bishop
• revivalist
• deacon
• clergyman
• friar
• scholar
• pastor
• reverend
• monastic
• clerical
• ecclesiastic
• mendicant
• padre
• proselytizer
• cleric
• student
• churchman
• deaconess
• chaplain
• prelate
• diocesan
• vicar
• divine
• pope
• archbishop
• priestess
• curé
• presbyter
• dean
• parson
• rector
• dominie
• abbot
• clerk
• father
• abbé
• oblate
• confessor
• clergyperson
• shepherd
• monsignor
• advocate
• faithful
• curate
• supporter
• partisan
• protégé
• disciple
• clergywoman
• loyalist
• Holy Joe
• archpriest
• high priest
• devotee
• high priestess
• champion
• worshipper
• zealot
• enthusiast
• fan
• adherent
• sectarian
• ideologist
• sky pilot
• acolyte
• admirer
• idolater
• follower
• ideologue
• pupil
• votary
• cultist
• backer
• convert
• liege man
• epigone
• votarist

Dissimilar Words

• renegade
• traitor
• defector
• apostate
• leader
• turncoat
• secular
• layman
• layperson
• lector
• lay reader
• coryphaeus

missionary

2 of 2

adjective

as in apostolic

relating to missionaries or their work

The church organizes missionary trips to a variety of countries.

Related Words

• apostolic
• evangelical
• papal
• religious
• pastoral
• episcopal
• diocesan
• ecclesiastical
• ecclesiastic
• pontifical
• patriarchal
• diaconal
• canonical
• churchly
• sacramental
• divine
• monastic
• mendicant
• conventual
• holy
• ministerial
• clerical
• rabbinic
• sacerdotal
• priestly
• monachal
• caliphal
• clerkly

Dissimilar Words

• secular
• lay
• temporal
• nonclerical

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of missionary

Noun

The native people of this region were not wiped out by smallpox and instead established an independent kingdom that blends a traditional monarchy with Catholicism, thanks to the efforts of some earlier missionaries. — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

The coding missionaries of the twenty-tens made errors both practical and philosophical. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026

Adjective

The story follows him through his missionary work, traveling with his wife Maria and good friend, Wang Laijun. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 20 July 2026

The discovery of Iron Ore in Minnesota sprung mining towns during his missionary efforts in the region. — Vivian Wilson, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026