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

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Etymology

Origin of missionary

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

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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

Vatican watchers say that Leo -- who spent two decades as a missionary in Peru -- is anxious to make the long journey, but will likely follow the recommendations of his doctors.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

The Orthodox have missed Rome’s ability to coordinate, its missionary zeal, its indefatigability in serving the needy, and its intellectual heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Charleson was 40 at the time, known for playing Scottish Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell in “Chariots of Fire.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

All he knew was that he had been assured by both the missionary and the Homeland Security men that they would call his wife.

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

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

Tassone said Ross had visited other friends in Norway and Denmark, and had supported missionaries financially.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

European artworks brought to the court by diplomats and missionaries further influenced Mughal watercolors, contributing to the emergence of an increased naturalism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

He opened his eyes before many of our people did, Papa would say; he was one of the few who welcomed the missionaries.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Related Words

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

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