messiah

noun

mes·​si·​ah mə-ˈsī-ə How to pronounce messiah (audio)
1
capitalized
a
: the expected king and deliverer of the Jews
2
: a professed or accepted leader of some hope or cause
security, which the political messiahs promiseVardis Fisher
messiahship noun

Examples of messiah in a Sentence

They thought the new principal was the messiah the school had been hoping for.
Recent Examples on the Web That can range from thinking religion should play a larger role in government to believing a president is a literal messiah sent by God. Will Carless, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 As Paul’s authority expands, however, Chani foresees doom at the end of his vengeful path, and wisely realizes that messiahs are often just another form of dictator. David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024 The Bible speaks of Simon the Sorcerer, another false messiah that tried to buy his way into the apostles. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 15 Jan. 2024 In Jerusalem, for example, who even bothers to look up when a prophet in the throes boards the light rail at the Mount Herzl military cemetery, or when a messiah in white robes astride a white donkey trots down Jaffa Road past the municipal center blowing his horn? Tova Reich, Harper's Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023 At the time of Jesus’ execution, there were a dozen of other messiahs active in Judea. John Hopewell, Variety, 13 Oct. 2023 Rather than devoting himself to Jesus and his cause though, Clarence sees another way: Becoming a messiah himself. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2023 LaKeith Stanfield goes from biblical-era everyman to rising messiah in the first trailer for TriStar and Legendary Pictures’ The Book of Clarence. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Aug. 2023 Unlike a lot of self-help gurus, yogis and crackpot messiahs who rose to prominence in the early-1970s age of weird, Geller endured and his cultural impact proved both singular and lasting. David Segal, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'messiah.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew māshīaḥ & Aramaic mĕshīḥā, literally, anointed

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of messiah was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near messiah

Cite this Entry

“Messiah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messiah. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

messiah

noun
mes·​si·​ah mə-ˈsī-ə How to pronounce messiah (audio)
1
capitalized
a
: the expected king and deliverer of the Jews
b
: Jesus Christ regarded as the savior of the world by Christians
2
: a leader of some hope or cause : deliverer

More from Merriam-Webster on messiah

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!