missionary
Americannoun
plural
missionaries-
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.
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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.
adjective
-
pertaining to or connected with religious missions.
-
engaged in such a mission or devoted to work connected with missions.
-
reflecting or prompted by the desire to persuade or convert others.
the missionary efforts of political fanatics.
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characteristic of a missionary.
missionary zeal.
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relating to or noting the missionary position.
Then it was up to the bedroom for some good, old-fashioned missionary sex.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to missionaries
missionary work
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resulting from a desire to convert people to one's own beliefs
missionary zeal
Other Word Forms
- nonmissionary adjective
Etymology
Origin of missionary
First recorded in 1625–35; from New Latin missiōnārius; mission, -ary
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.
There is a certain humility in his approach that likely stems from his time as a missionary in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The state has historic links to American missionaries.
From BBC
Prevost was little known to the wider public except in Peru, where he was greatly admired during his more than 20 years as a missionary and bishop.
The author also reveals the desperate conditions that beset Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, and the two Americans who were driven by their religious faith to serve the same missionary hospital.
An elderly retired missionary was brought in, jaw quivering with fear.
From Literature
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.
