proselyte 1 of 2

as in recruit
a person who has recently been persuaded to join a religious sect an adult proselyte who had only recently been baptized

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proselyte

2 of 2

verb

as in to convert
to persuade to change to one's religious faith she's been trying to proselyte everyone in the office ever since she joined that church

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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 proselyte
Noun
Seneca went on to become a proselyte for the Stoic path, extolling its benefits in a long run of prose essays while also serving—in some eyes, dishonorably—as an adviser to Nero. James Romm, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021 In order to understand this idea, the special relationship between God and the proselyte must be examined. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021 Kitselman also became a proselyte for the history of Waterford, helping to create educational programming at the town’s Second Street School. Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2021 Christian Angermayer is an unlikely proselyte of psychedelia: The German financier didn’t drink so much as a sip of beer for the first three decades of his life. Meghana Keshavan, Scientific American, 9 July 2019 Enter proselytes in acetate eyeglasses and Rosie Pope workwear, drawn by listservs like Brooklynitos and Fort Greene Kids and BoCoCa Moms (BoCoCa being an acronym for three adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods). Sonja Sharp, latimes.com, 27 June 2018 The authors observe that Yemeni Jews share elevated IBD with other Jewish populations, suggesting more than an indigenous proselyte origin for this community. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proselyte
Noun
  • The Hurricanes on Sunday landed another blue-chip recruit for their Class of 2026, receiving an oral commitment from four-star cornerback JJ Dunnigan.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Since the company only recruits from within, the next CEO of P&G is today a brand manager.
    Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Inside the hole, that spin makes the ball roll along the cylinder like a mini-pendulum, converting potential energy into spin and then back again.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • That total recently got a boost from Father Joe’s Villages, which converted one of its downtown shelters into a detox and sober-living program.
    Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The movie welcomes franchise newcomers Ernie Hudson, Conan O’Brien and Greta Lee as the voice of Lilypad, according to Pixar’s trailer description on YouTube.
    Dan Heching, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Tony Award winner Maleah Joi Moon will lead the cast as Deborah, joined by Alijah Kai, Chibuikem Uche, Cornell Young IV, Jordan Aaron Hall, and newcomer Kennedi Reece.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • And Musk, with his empire of tech companies and unprecedented wealth, has a singular power to proselytize.
    Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Well, there is a common understanding based on history that Jews are not a proselytizing religion, and generally speaking, through much of Jewish history where Jews didn’t have sovereignty, and were not always safe and secure, that has definitely been the case.
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Proselyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proselyte. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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