MISSIONARIES Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

missionaries

noun

plural of missionary

as in missioners

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of missionaries Elsewhere near Ensenada, Mexican soldiers used helicopters to rescue 32 people, including 13 minors, from Rancho Genesis, a camp for orphans staffed by missionaries. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 William Catto brought his family north to Baltimore with plans to eventually travel to Liberia as missionaries. — Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2026 Boza shared that missionaries from the Basel Mission, which was active in Cameroon starting in the 19th century, played a role in building Swiss museum collections. — News Desk, Artforum, 2 Oct. 2026 The native people of this region were not wiped out by smallpox and instead established an independent kingdom that blends a traditional monarchy with Catholicism, thanks to the efforts of some earlier missionaries. — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026 The coding missionaries of the twenty-tens made errors both practical and philosophical. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026 The organization drew international attention in 2021, when 17 of its missionaries were kidnapped on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince by the 400 Mawozo gang. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026 Visiting missionaries fill tribal members’ gas tanks and replace their sagging roofs. — Savannah Peters, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 In 2008, about 18,400 African missionaries had served abroad, according to one estimate. — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for missionaries

Noun

In 1976, the residence was redesigned as a retirement home for church missioners.

— George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

Definition of missioners

Noun

Our soldiers, who have been on the front line for weeks and months, are being delivered food and water using appropriate drones with Starlink.

— Kristin Wright, NPR, 18 Oct. 2026
An Army officer who fought with his superiors for his soldiers’ safety.

— Washington Post readers, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of soldiers

Noun

For a second day Leo celebrated Mass with other priests in a special chapel set up near his room on the 10th floor of the hospital, spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

— Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
According to the attorneys, the priests targeted more than 100 young Black children at Holy Angels parish between 1969 and 2002.

— CBS Chicago Team, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of priests

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“Missionaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/missionaries. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of missionaries

noun

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