evangelist
noun
a Protestant minister or layperson who serves as an itinerant or special preacher, especially a revivalist.
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evangelist
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Evangelist
Evangelistnounany of the writers of the New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John
evangelist
American
[ih-van-juh-list]
/ ɪˈvæn dʒə lɪst /
noun
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evangelists
plural
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a Protestant minister or layperson who serves as an itinerant or special preacher, especially a revivalist.
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a preacher of the gospel.
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(initial capital letter) any of the writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) of the four Gospels.
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(in the primitive church) a person who first brought the gospel to a city or region.
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(initial capital letter) a patriarch.
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a person marked by evangelical enthusiasm for or support of any cause.
evangelist
1
British
/ ɪˈvændʒɪlɪst /
noun
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an occasional preacher, sometimes itinerant and often preaching at meetings in the open air
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a preacher of the Christian gospel
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any zealous advocate of a cause
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another word for revivalist
Evangelist
2
British
/ ɪˈvændʒɪlɪst /
noun
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any of the writers of the New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John
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a senior official or dignitary of the Mormon Church
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of evangelist
1125–75; Middle English evangeliste < Latin evangelista < Greek euangelistḗs. See evangel 1, -ist
Explanation
An evangelist is a preacher, specifically a Christian preacher. Evangelists are excited to tell everyone all over the world about Christianity. If you're an evangelist, you're a Christian preacher. Unlike other religious words — such as prayer and God — this word is specifically limited to the Christian faith. With a capital e, Evangelist refers specifically to the authors of the Gospels in the New Testament. Sometimes the word is used more loosely when people say someone is an evangelist for a cause, such as vegetarianism or health care: that means they're a strong believer in and proponent of the cause.
Vocabulary lists containing evangelist
Novel Study: Things Fall Apart, Parts 2–3
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All Saints' Day
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Over the course of Jim Harbaugh’s two decades as a head coach, he has been America’s most famous khaki-pants evangelist, moonlit as a Supreme Court scholar, and declared steak a daily vitamin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
A highly-popular tech evangelist who pushed for reforms, Fedorov was dismissed in July in a divisive reshuffle that triggered unprecedented protests in his support.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
She’s since become an evangelist for eating the European way, documenting her diet of primarily pasta, cookies, bread and full-fat milk and butter, on trips to France and Italy for her 223,000 followers on Instagram.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
“He became an evangelist for the game because he thought it was a game that this country would appreciate,” says Katerina.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
He receives an appointment from the Belgian Evangelization Committee of the Associated Churches and starts work as an evangelist on February 1, 1879.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
The trustees of the charity, which is formally known as The Almshouse of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, decided to sell the work to avoid insurance and security costs.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
From the hostel terrace, we can see the Basilica of St. John Lateran, its imposing statues of Christ, John the Baptist, and John the Evangelist rising above the rooftops.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2025
A similar step and corresponding angel wing is found on the opposite panel, depicting St. John the Evangelist, belonging to The Frick Collection.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 19, 2024
Her elementary school, St. John the Evangelist, and St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood, the all-girls Catholic high school she attended, also are about 10 minutes away.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
Pilate speaks exactly in the same manner as the Evangelist.
From Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from Italy and Switzerland by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
They are evangelists who worship at its Texas toast–padded altar.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Still, brands continue to inspire devoted followings from tech evangelists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
But there is no shortage of evangelists who will point to Musk's staggering ability to raise money, challenge orthodoxy and prove his doubters wrong.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
It emerges from a particular food lineage — one shaped by mid-century macrobiotics, health-food evangelists and a curious, earnest embrace of global cuisines.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
He and Pa have decided he’ll go to a training college for evangelists.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
