missionary
Word family
- missionnounB1
- missioniseverbC2
- missionaladjectiveC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
These words all describe someone sent with a purpose, but they differ in scope and religious weight. A missionary is the broadest term: anyone who travels abroad to share their faith and often provides education, medical care, or community development. An evangelist focuses specifically on preaching the Christian gospel, often in public settings, and may or may not travel abroad. An apostle has a much narrower meaning: it refers primarily to the twelve early followers of Jesus, or more rarely to the founding figure of a Christian church; it carries strong biblical authority. An emissary is a non-religious counterpart — a person sent on a diplomatic or political mission. If you say 'she is a missionary,' a reader imagines long-term cross-cultural service. If you say 'she is an evangelist,' the image is more about public preaching. 'Apostle' fits only historical or theological contexts. 'Emissary' would be the right choice for a political or business delegation.
Common collocations
Etymology
Missionary traces back to the Latin verb mittere, meaning 'to send.' From this came missio, 'a sending or dispatch.' In late Latin, missio took on the Christian sense of being sent by the church to spread the faith. The word passed into French as missionnaire and then into English in the early 1600s. Originally it described any person sent on a religious mission; over time the modern meaning of long-term cross-cultural faith work became dominant.