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  • evangelist
    evangelist
    noun
    a Protestant minister or layperson who serves as an itinerant or special preacher, especially a revivalist.
  • Evangelist
    Evangelist
    noun
    any of the writers of the New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John
Synonyms

evangelist

American  
[ih-van-juh-list] / ɪˈvæn dʒə lɪst /

noun

evangelists plural
  1. a Protestant minister or layperson who serves as an itinerant or special preacher, especially a revivalist.

  2. a preacher of the gospel.

  3. (initial capital letter) any of the writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) of the four Gospels.

  4. (in the primitive church) a person who first brought the gospel to a city or region.

  5. (initial capital letter) a patriarch.

  6. a person marked by evangelical enthusiasm for or support of any cause.


evangelist 1 British  
/ ɪˈvændʒɪlɪst /

noun

  1. an occasional preacher, sometimes itinerant and often preaching at meetings in the open air

  2. a preacher of the Christian gospel

  3. any zealous advocate of a cause

  4. another word for revivalist

"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

Evangelist 2 British  
/ ɪˈvændʒɪlɪst /

noun

  1. any of the writers of the New Testament Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John

  2. a senior official or dignitary of the Mormon Church

"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

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing evangelist

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:

This clothing, says Mr. Robbins, identifies the latter as the evangelist St. Luke, patron saint of artists.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 24, 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

This despite considering myself a genuine evangelist for cooking in ways that match your energy instead of fighting it.

From Salon Jul. 4, 2026

A recent Bitcoin sale by Michael Saylor’s Strategy, a major crypto investor and Bitcoin evangelist, hasn’t helped sentiment either.

From Barron's Jun. 5, 2026

Converted sinners flowed down the aisles to shake hands with the evangelist and stayed at his side or were directed to one of the men in line.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

The church houses the Salus Populi Romani, a Byzantine icon of the Virgin believed to have been made by St Luke the Evangelist and used by Jesuit orders all over the world.

From BBC Apr. 25, 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

Dante, the great statue, xxix;St. John the Evangelist, 172;the saints before and after Christ form the great rose of Paradise, 448.

From Church and State as Seen in the Formation of Christendom by Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)

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

The finance bros who worship at the altar of Bloomberg have declared war on the tech evangelists who have put all their faith in AI.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 17, 2026

In the weeks after “Heated Rivalry” wrapped its first season, evangelists of the gay hockey show toyed with the idea of switching to “Industry,” which was premiering its fourth season in early January.

From Salon Mar. 1, 2026

Each of the evangelists carried a wooden staff with a pair of tiny, shiny silver wings on top.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

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