as in missioner
a person who is sent especially to a foreign country to do religious work (such as converting people to the religion or ministering to the sick)
The missionaries sent to the island were ultimately unsuccessful in converting the native residents.
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as in apostolic
relating to missionaries or their work
The church organizes missionary trips to a variety of countries.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of missionary
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
The megahit comedy musical about religious missionaries in Uganda has been on Broadway since 2011 (minus a COVID-19 break) and is currently the 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
Aquila hopes that his community has found a deeper love of Christ and the sacraments through his service and an understanding of the importance of being missionary disciples.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Noun
Missionary pope Leo’s Africa trip will see him outside of the Vatican for the longest time since his election, and the constant travel in the country has echoes of his time as a missionary and bishop in Latin America.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2026
The megahit comedy musical about religious missionaries in Uganda has been on Broadway since 2011 (minus a COVID-19 break) and is currently the 10th longest-running Broadway show of all time.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
While Quebec's largest city was first founded as a missionary center rather than a fur-trading post, as was the case with several other Canadian cities, the proceeding centuries have seen Montreal more than make up for its nonmaterialist origins.
—Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2026
Aquila hopes that his community has found a deeper love of Christ and the sacraments through his service and an understanding of the importance of being missionary disciples.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for missionary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionary
Noun
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Kelley Hudlow, missioner for clergy formation for the diocese, told NBC affiliate WVTM of Birmingham soon after the shooting that church leaders were trying to learn more.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
17 June 2022
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Eby will continue to serve as outreach missioner at the Church of the Nativity and as priest-in-charge at St. Timothy’s Church in Athens.—
al,
al,
1 Dec. 2020
Adjective
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The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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Kast and his wife are part of Schoenstatt, a Catholic apostolic movement devoted to the Virgin Mary.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In a 1916 study, Navy soldiers seemed to better learn Morse code when it was played overnight.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
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Ryan shot back, quoting a soldier from the CBS report, that telling the truth is important.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In Christian America, evangelical conservatives have held sway for decades.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
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Ring by Spring Break is inspired by the viral TikTok trend, where evangelical Christian students feel pressure to get engaged before graduation, which takes place at schools such as BYU in Utah, home to Hulu’s controversial series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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She was pulled into a scheme involving a man who posed as a priest, another posing as an immigration judge, and another posing as Oscar Carrillo, an attorney licensed in Texas who practices tax law.—
Naisha Roy,
ProPublica,
29 Apr. 2026
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During the investigation, police found the vehicle’s license plate using cameras in the area, and then used that information, along with details provided by the teen, to identify the then-priest as the suspect.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Food and drink This is a major part of the Shakti experience, with Chef Yeshi, a Tibetan former monk, as the star and visiting celebrity chefs such as Mansi Seth Kapoor and Christine Mansfield bringing in other gastronomic influences from around the world.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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Save the monastery, or the life of one individual monk.—
Jackie Hajdenberg,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Missionary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionary. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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