missionary

American  

[mish-uh-ner-ee] / ˈmɪʃ əˌnɛr i /

noun

• missionaries
  plural

1. 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.

2. a person strongly in favor of a program, set of principles, etc., who attempts to persuade or convert others.

3. a person who is sent on a mission.

4. missionary position.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or connected with religious missions.

2. engaged in such a mission or devoted to work connected with missions.

3. reflecting or prompted by the desire to persuade or convert others.

   the missionary efforts of political fanatics.

4. characteristic of a missionary.

   missionary zeal.

5. relating to or noting the missionary position.

   Then it was up to the bedroom for some good, old-fashioned missionary sex.

missionary British  

/ ˈmɪʃənərɪ /

noun

1. a member of a religious mission

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adjective

1. of or relating to missionaries

   missionary work

2. resulting from a desire to convert people to one's own beliefs

   missionary zeal

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonmissionary
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• missionaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of missionary

First recorded in 1625–35; from New Latin missiōnārius; see mission, -ary

Explanation

A missionary is someone who travels to a foreign country to perform charitable work and, most commonly, to try to convert people to their faith. Missionary can be a noun — the person who goes on a mission — or an adjective — the type of work done on such a trip. If your great-grandmother was a missionary for the Methodist church in Japan in the 1920s, her purpose there was to convince people to abandon their religion for Methodism. Presumably she did this missionary work because she thought it would save their souls.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

missionary missionaries

Related: My grandpa retired happily at 70 with $750K after working as a missionary.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

For a couple of years, Trinidad juggled barber college, work at FedEx and missionary work through his L.A. church, Iglesia De Jesucristo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

In the 18th Century, the Church's missionary wing ran plantations and owned hundreds of slaves, which helped fund its work across the Americas and beyond.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Even selling the book could prove dangerous in the South: Authorities in North Carolina jailed one missionary for distributing four copies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

He pictured the missionary leaving the prison, getting to his car, retrieving the number, calling Kathy from the road.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Dr Konyak points to explorers, colonial officials, missionaries and photographers drawn to tattooed faces, ornaments, weapons and headhunting, while the lives behind them often receded from view.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Rio and cinematographer Adam Pietkiewicz shot Angh on 16mm film, drawing on photographs and footage of missionaries and Naga communities from the 1950s and 60s.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Waves of European missionaries sailed through the South Pacific in the 19th century, bringing evangelical Christian teachings that were adopted with enthusiasm.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Catholic missionaries arrived, too, and with them came the flourishing of religious art used to inspire and convert the native peoples.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Esther Anderson, one of the missionaries who ran the school, was from California.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

Related Words

• clergy
• evangelist
• messenger
• pastor
• preacher
• teacher