proselyte
Americannoun
verb (used with or without object)
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proselytes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
proselyted,
past participle, past
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proselyting
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
proselytesimple
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proselytessimple
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have proselytedperfect
-
has proselytedperfect
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am proselytingprogressive
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are proselytingprogressive
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is proselytingprogressive
-
have been proselytingperfect progressive
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has been proselytingperfect progressive
Past
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proselytedsimple
-
had proselytedperfect
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was proselytingprogressive
-
were proselytingprogressive
-
had been proselytingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of proselyte
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Late Latin prosēlytus, from Greek (Septuagint) prosḗlytos, for unattested prosḗlythos “newcomer, proselyte,” equivalent to prosēlyth- (suppletive stem of prosérchesthai “to approach”) + -os noun suffix
Explanation
A proselyte is a new convert, especially someone who has recently switched from one religion to another. In some Christian churches, a proselyte must be baptized. You can use the word proselyte to talk about any kind of convert, even those that aren't religious. You could, for example, call your brother a proselyte if he voted for a Republican in the last election but recently joined the Democratic party. The most common use of the word, however, is someone who converts to Judaism. Proselyte has a Greek root, proselytos, which means both "convert to Judaism" and "one who has come over."
Vocabulary lists containing proselyte
The Federalist Papers, No. 1 by Alexander Hamilton
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3
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Around the World in Eighty Days
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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:
Janet Kitselman also became a proselyte for the history of Waterford, helping to create educational programming at the town’s Second Street School.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2021
Mary Frank, the artist, is his friend and fellow solar-cooking proselyte.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 23, 2019
Christian Angermayer is an unlikely proselyte of psychedelia: The German financier didn’t drink so much as a sip of beer for the first three decades of his life.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 9, 2019
A 52-year-old mother of four whose usual definition of “excess” is a wine spritzer, Ms. Waldman may seem an unlikely proselyte for a second Age of Aquarius.
From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2017
The Empress Poppæa is said to have been a proselyte.
From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 1 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole
Some of the recent FDE proselytes, like OpenAI and Anthropic, have raised mind-boggling sums of money on the promise of a technology powerful enough to reshape the entire economy.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 4, 2026
He’s converting new proselytes to the religion of live theater day after day.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2015
Still, proselytes often find that being Paleo quickly becomes a round-the-clock duty.
From New York Times ● Sep. 19, 2014
For new converts like Mr. Kagodo, the values of the young proselytes are as compelling as any set of religious beliefs.
From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2012
We may be intolerant even in advocating the cause of toleration, and so bent on making proselytes to freethinking as to allow no one to think freely but ourselves.
From Winterslow Essays and Characters Written There by Hazlitt, William
Legislators, initiative petitions, green paint, dynamite, burglars, proselyted athletes, and a hundred other things have been used in the fight between the two schools ever since the oldest professor can remember.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Old Left organized and proselyted, playing its part in bringing about the American welfare state.
From Time Magazine Archive
It appears, however, that efforts in behalf of Negroes elsewhere were not in vain; for the Negroes in Latin America were not only proselyted thereafter but were given recognition among the clergy.
From The History of the Negro Church by Woodson, Carter Godwin
With the fiery zeal of the pioneer of a religious movement he preached in season and out of season his new faith, and proselyted with success even among those who scoffed.
From The One Woman by Dixon, Thomas
Mr. Oddington and Mr. Wotherspoon say he was proselyted by Princeton.
From Dan Merrithew by McFall, J. V.
At the same time, church representatives canvass likely Northern communities to check on the availability of jobs and housing and the outlook for proselyting.
From Time Magazine Archive
How can the Catholic Church best use radio as a tool in proselyting?
From Time Magazine Archive
They support themselves while proselyting, and generally serve a two-year period.
From Time Magazine Archive
For the last two years we have endeavored to bring our proselyting activities out from under the table.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Don't start proselyting to-day. To-day's going to be bad enough as it is."
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
