missionary
a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work: There are opportunities for student missionaries living abroad to work with people in need of aid, participate in building projects, and share the Gospel.
a person strongly in favor of a program, set of principles, etc., who attempts to persuade or convert others.
a person who is sent on a mission.
reflecting or prompted by the desire to persuade or convert others: the missionary efforts of political fanatics.
characteristic of a missionary: missionary zeal.
relating to or noting the missionary position: Then it was up to the bedroom for some good, old-fashioned missionary sex.
Origin of missionary
1Other words from missionary
- non·mis·sion·ar·y, adjective, noun, plural non·mis·sion·ar·ies.
Words Nearby missionary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use missionary in a sentence
Both in 2018 and 2019, I myself was evacuated from Haiti by United Nations security after violent protests broke out and made getting any missionary work done impossible.
The Murder of Haiti's President Presents a Rare Chance for the World to Actually Help the Country | Dimitry Elias Léger | July 14, 2021 | TimeTo be frank, it wasn’t the missionaries who built the Alamo.
'The Myth Itself Becomes a Stand-in.' What Can the Alamo's History Teach Us About Teaching History? | Olivia B. Waxman | July 13, 2021 | TimeAt the time, Jurado says, the Philippines had few medical hospitals and clinics, primarily set up by the Spanish colonial government and missionaries.
From AIDS to COVID-19, America’s Medical System Has a Long History of Relying on Filipino Nurses to Fight on the Frontlines | Paulina Cachero | May 30, 2021 | TimeFounded in 1892 by American missionaries and educators, it’s now a vibrant center for cultural and educational exchange between Spain and the US.
Evangelical missionaries, though, are reportedly telling tribes not to take the vaccine because “they will turn into an alligator.”
Jesuits are educators known as the intellectuals of the church; they also have a long missionary tradition.
Outside, they killed Hector McMillan, a Canadian missionary, before joining the ranks of the fleeing rebels.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHeavily armed Simbas had already arrived at the missionary house and were lining up families in the backyard for execution.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe hospital also treated a second missionary who died in early August, and this nurse also had come in contact with him.
Ebola Contracted in Madrid Hospital Could Spread in Europe | Barbie Latza Nadeau | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBagaza called for the expulsion of all Italian priests and missionary workers, but those who stayed received death threats.
Catholic Nuns Aiding Africa's Battered Wives Are Raped and Murdered | Barbie Latza Nadeau | September 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHis zeal led him among foreigners as a missionary; after visiting Bohemia, he went among the Poles, by whom he was killed.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellAre you quite sure,” asked the missionary pointedly, “that you are supplied with everything else that you require?
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneI rather fear, major, that your method of comforting me is not what the missionary would call orthodox.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneSo we composed ourselves again to hear of the battle to the death between the noble missionary woman and the mighty Bengal.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydHe hoped to hear that melody again, when Mr. Warden had finished the story of the brave missionary of Ballerraderad.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson Lloyd
British Dictionary definitions for missionary
/ (ˈmɪʃənərɪ) /
a member of a religious mission
of or relating to missionaries: missionary work
resulting from a desire to convert people to one's own beliefs: missionary zeal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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