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
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 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 Rashi concludes that the text, therefore, must refer to a ger, a proselyte, who has died leaving no next of kin among the Jewish People. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021 The law of gezel hager (stealing from a proselyte) reminds us that the Torah was given to all Jews – including converts. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proselyte
Noun
  • Blanchett’s attention then returns to her recruit, who insists on going another round.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 June 2025
  • Eastern Michigan football recruit Elijah Berman was killed in a motorcycle crash involving a semitruck Tuesday evening, according to officials.
    Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • There, stairs lead up to a second floor that can be used for storage or converted into additional space for guests.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 24 June 2025
  • Boos rained down much of the evening, with frustration directed at the referees and the Checkers’ inability to convert on their powerplay opportunities.
    Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • And those cryptic commands persist today in some Linux editors, like Vim, a modal text editor where users must switch between different modes for editing versus navigating text, which famously confuses newcomers.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 23 June 2025
  • Meanwhile, newcomers will be played by Jordan Donica, Andrea Martin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Hattie Morahan, Leslie Uggams, Merritt Wever, Bill Camp and Phylicia Rashad.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • For nearly two decades, Govan has proselytized his vision for LACMA reborn, a place liberated from 19th-century academic thinking about the proper role and form of a civic arts institution.
    Mayer Rus, Architectural Digest, 26 June 2025
  • These were the glory days of celebrity magazines and gossip blogs, and Anderson was ubiquitous, proselytizing about how to get J.Lo’s butt or Gwyneth’s … anything.
    Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 12 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Proselyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proselyte. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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