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
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
The megahit comedy musical about religious missionaries in Uganda has been on Broadway since 2011 (minus a COVID-19 break) and is currently the 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
Aquila hopes that his community has found a deeper love of Christ and the sacraments through his service and an understanding of the importance of being missionary disciples.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Noun
Missionary pope Leo’s Africa trip will see him outside of the Vatican for the longest time since his election, and the constant travel in the country has echoes of his time as a missionary and bishop in Latin America.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
The megahit comedy musical about religious missionaries in Uganda has been on Broadway since 2011 (minus a COVID-19 break) and is currently the 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
While Quebec's largest city was first founded as a missionary center rather than a fur-trading post, as was the case with several other Canadian cities, the proceeding centuries have seen Montreal more than make up for its nonmaterialist origins.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
Aquila hopes that his community has found a deeper love of Christ and the sacraments through his service and an understanding of the importance of being missionary disciples.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
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
-
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Kast and his wife are part of Schoenstatt, a Catholic apostolic movement devoted to the Virgin Mary.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a 1916 study, Navy soldiers seemed to better learn Morse code when it was played overnight.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
Ryan shot back, quoting a soldier from the CBS report, that telling the truth is important.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The filing was part of a lawsuit that the National Religious Broadcasters, an international association of evangelical Christian communicators, and other plaintiffs initiated in 2024.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Jonathan Muir Burgos and his father, Elier Muir Ávila, an evangelical pastor, were arrested on March 16 in Morón, a city in Ciego de Ávila province.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
She was pulled into a scheme involving a man who posed as a priest, another posing as an immigration judge, and another posing as Oscar Carrillo, an attorney licensed in Texas who practices tax law.—
Naisha Roy,
ProPublica,
29 Apr. 2026
-
During the investigation, police found the vehicle’s license plate using cameras in the area, and then used that information, along with details provided by the teen, to identify the then-priest as the suspect.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Additionally, the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh attracted attention in the United States not only with his opposition to the Vietnam War but also with his notion of Engaged Buddhism, which emphasizes improving human life through political activism and everyday acts of mindfulness.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In 2017, police said a Buddhist monk was arrested in Myanmar after authorities found more than 4 million meth pills in his car and in his monastery.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Missionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionary. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
