evangelist

IPA/ɪˈvæn.dʒə.lɪst/
KK[ɪvˈændʒəlɪst]IPA/ɪˈvæn.dʒə.lɪst/

evangelist — noun

  • evangelistsingular
  • evangelistsplural

1. someone who travels or speaks publicly about Christianity to encourage other peo

1.nounC2
Definition

someone who travels or speaks publicly about Christianity to encourage other people to accept that faith

Example

Paloma listened to an evangelist speaking in the market square after lunch.

pattern: evangelist speaking to a crowd

Hassan became an evangelist after years of church work in rural Kenya.

Common collocations
  • radio evangelist
  • travelling evangelist
  • young evangelist
  • famous evangelist
Synonyms
  • preacher

    Broader and more general; a preacher does not necessarily travel to win new believers

  • missionary

    Often tied to organized work for a church, sometimes abroad, rather than mainly public preaching

  • revivalist

    More strongly linked to large emotional religious meetings

Grammar Patterns

evangelist who preaches to groups or communities

Usage Note

Often used for a preacher who addresses groups, travels between communities, or appears on radio or television. It is more specific than a general word like Christian speaker.

Common Mistakes

My aunt became an evangelist for the school bake sale.
My aunt became a campaigner for the school bake sale.
In this sense, 'evangelist' is specifically about spreading the Christian faith.

2. someone who praises an idea, product, or way of working so strongly that other p

2.nounC2
Definition

someone who praises an idea, product, or way of working so strongly that other people start to support it too

Example

Emma is the team's strongest evangelist for open-source tools in schools.

pattern: evangelist for + idea or product

After the trial class, Imran sounded like an evangelist for the new app.

Common collocations
  • brand evangelist
  • software evangelist
  • product evangelist
  • evangelist for change
Synonyms
  • advocate

    Often emphasizes arguing publicly for something rather than energetic promotion

  • champion

    Suggests strong support and defense, sometimes inside an organization

  • promoter

    Can sound more commercial and less value-driven than evangelist

Antonyms
  • critic

    Focuses on faults instead of praising the idea or product

  • skeptic

    Doubts the value of something rather than trying to win support for it

Grammar Patterns

evangelist for + idea, product, or way of working

Usage Note

Often followed by for when naming the thing being promoted. This sense is common in business and technology contexts, where the person's job is to win support rather than build the product.

Common Mistakes

The company hired an evangelist to write the software code.
The company hired a developer to write the software code.
An evangelist promotes a product or idea; the word does not mean the person who builds it.

3. a Bible writer traditionally believed to have written a Gospel book about Jesus

3.nounC2
Definition

a Bible writer traditionally believed to have written a Gospel book about Jesus

Example

Eri painted Saint Luke the Evangelist beside the church door.

pattern: Saint Luke the Evangelist

The lecture compared Matthew the Evangelist with John the Evangelist.

Common collocations
  • Saint John the Evangelist
  • Mark the Evangelist
  • Luke the Evangelist
  • the four Evangelists

Grammar Patterns

the Evangelist + Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John

Usage Note

Usually capitalized in religious writing when it refers specifically to Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. This sense names a particular title, not a modern preacher or promoter.

Common Mistakes

Paul the Evangelist wrote letters to early churches.
Paul wrote letters to early churches, but the Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
In this sense, 'Evangelist' refers to a writer of a Gospel.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

In its modern non-religious sense, an evangelist is a person who speaks with unusual energy and conviction to win support for an idea, product, or method. An advocate may support the same thing, but the word often focuses more on argument and public defense than on infectious enthusiasm. A champion is often an insider who keeps pressing for change inside a team or organization. A promoter can simply market something, so it may sound more commercial and less belief-driven. Missionary overlaps only in the idea of spreading a message; outside religious contexts, missionary does not fit the business or technology sense of evangelist.

advocate ↗champion ↗promoter ↗missionary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • radio evangelist
  • brand evangelist
  • software evangelist
  • Saint John the Evangelist

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'evangelist' came into English through Latin and Old French from Greek roots connected with 'good news' or the Christian gospel. It first named a writer or preacher of the gospel, and later widened to mean a forceful public promoter of any idea, product, or cause.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1