proselytize

American  

[pros-uh-li-tahyz] / ˈprɒs ə lɪˌtaɪz /

especially British, proselytise

verb (used with or without object)

• proselytizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• proselytized,
  past participle,  past
• proselytizing
  present participle

1. to convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte; recruit to a religion or other belief system.

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proselytize British  

/ ˈprɒsɪlɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to convert (someone) from one religious faith to another

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• proselytization
  noun
• proselytizer
  noun
• proselytistic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• proselytizing
  present
• proselytized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• proselytize
  simple
• proselytizes
  simple
• have proselytized
  perfect
• has proselytized
  perfect
• am proselytizing
  progressive
• are proselytizing
  progressive
• is proselytizing
  progressive
• have been proselytizing
  perfect progressive
• has been proselytizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• proselytized
  simple
• had proselytized
  perfect
• was proselytizing
  progressive
• were proselytizing
  progressive
• had been proselytizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will proselytize
  simple
• will have proselytized
  perfect
• will be proselytizing
  progressive
• will have been proselytizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of proselytize

First recorded in 1670–80; proselyte + -ize

Compare meaning

How does proselytize compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• proselytize vs. evangelize

Explanation

To proselytize is to try to persuade someone to switch to your religious beliefs or your way of living. If you are going to proselytize, try not to be too pushy! The word proselytize can specifically refer to religious evangelism, as in: "Proselytizing is a fundamental component of Mormonism." Proselytize, however, can also be used for any situation when people are trying to convince others to try something or to join something. TV ads proselytize about the pleasures of life with mouthwash, friends proselytize about how great their favorite video games are, and parents proselytize about the benefits of eating vegetables.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

proselytize proselytizes proselytized proselytizing

The result of all this history is the echo that still persists in the contemporary views of human-rights organizations, with their definitions of religious freedom as centered around the freedom to proselytize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

While I don’t mean to proselytize to those who would rather stay home than go to the movie theater — alright, I do just a little bit — there is nothing like the theatrical experience.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2025

Most Palestinians saw him as an eccentric outcast, while many Israelis treated him as an unwelcome convert to a religion that doesn’t proselytize.

From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2024

He envisions the movie to run around 80 minutes, focusing on Jesus’ core teachings in a way that explores the principles but doesn’t proselytize.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2024

Our policy was to be friendly, to take an interest, to compliment them on their achievements, but not to proselytize.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

The 48-year-old proselytizes a carefully calculated “flexitarian” pitch that goes down well in an age of better burgers and planetary anxiety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2020

Turner now proselytizes in the Dodgers clubhouse, teaching or reinforcing the beliefs of talented young hitters like Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager, and even influencing some hitting instructors like Hyers.

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2019

Koch proselytizes for integrated information theory, which holds that even a single proton might be a little bit conscious.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 4, 2017

As the founder of the Lit City Trax record label, Imanian-Friedman, also called J-Cush, proselytizes for a variety of dance-music subgenres from around the world, most notably Chicago’s relentlessly herky-jerky footwork scene.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 23, 2015

President Jeffrey Holland went to Israel and pledged last August that any Mormon teacher or student who proselytizes will be sent home.

From Time Magazine Archive

Muslims ruled large parts of India from the early 13th to the 19th century, and during this era Muslim preachers and Sufi mystics actively proselytized for Islam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

As prisons filled and pastors proselytized inside, some gang members began converting to evangelicalism, a growing movement in El Salvador that preached the power of repentance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 19, 2023

“I guess I’ve proselytized my aesthetic intensely to them,” Adlon said, “because every single thing that I’m telling you about, they’re the biggest fans of, too.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2020

Her reporting indicates that it's food media elites like you and me and others who have proselytized the most about brining.

From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2018

She proselytized about suffrage to anyone who would listen and recruited volunteers to help with the work.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

But his proselytizing also took other forms—some of them religious, some distinctly personal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Within five years, the chant “Hare Krishna” was everywhere: among throngs of devotees proselytizing in airports; in “Hair”; in a No. 1 hit song by George Harrison.

From New York Times ● May 22, 2024

Many noted that they had built up audiences with little to no marketing, and saw no need to echo the aggressive proselytizing of their counterparts.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2024

“It’s something quasi-religious, having this ritual,” Gehrz said, adding that outright proselytizing has been tightly regulated since a 1981 U.S.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2023

Doubly convinced by Mendel’s experimental data, and by his own evidence, Bateson set about proselytizing.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee