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 region was once dominated by slave plantations; during the two World Wars, Yemassee was best known for its train depot, which welcomed marine recruits on their way to basic training.
    Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Police recruits are paid over $28 an hour with a $2,000 bonus at graduation.
    David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Honeywell notes that this two-stage approach helps solve long-standing challenges of converting biocrudes into fuels with performance characteristics comparable to conventional fossil fuels.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The 12-acre property has already been converted into an eco-friendly compound with nine self-sufficient apartments plus a primary residence.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Trump endorsed Youngkin in his 2021 contest against Democrat Terry McAuliffe, but the Republican newcomer avoided appearing with the then-former president and steered clear of his MAGA agenda to appeal to independent and suburban voters.
    Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
  • To replenish its roster, Auburn added numerous newcomers through the portal and recruiting, including transfers such as Keyshawn Hall and Keshawn Murphy, as well as freshmen like Kaden Magwood.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 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
  • But Wall Street’s memory is short, and overseas audiences, which have proven resistant to patriotic American fare — James Gunn’s Superman being a case in point — may prove harder to proselytize.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

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