as in recruit
a person who has recently been persuaded to join a religious sect
an adult proselyte who had only recently been baptized
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to convert
to persuade to change to one's religious faith
she's been trying to proselyte everyone in the office ever since she joined that church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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 proselyte
Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2012
Seneca went on to become a proselyte for the Stoic path, extolling its benefits in a long run of prose essays while also serving—in some eyes, dishonorably—as an adviser to Nero.
—James Romm, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021
Rashi concludes that the text, therefore, must refer to a ger, a proselyte, who has died leaving no next of kin among the Jewish People.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
The law of gezel hager (stealing from a proselyte) reminds us that the Torah was given to all Jews – including converts.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
In order to understand this idea, the special relationship between God and the proselyte must be examined.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
Kitselman also became a proselyte for the history of Waterford, helping to create educational programming at the town’s Second Street School.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2021
Christian Angermayer is an unlikely proselyte of psychedelia: The German financier didn’t drink so much as a sip of beer for the first three decades of his life.
—Meghana Keshavan, Scientific American, 9 July 2019
Enter proselytes in acetate eyeglasses and Rosie Pope workwear, drawn by listservs like Brooklynitos and Fort Greene Kids and BoCoCa Moms (BoCoCa being an acronym for three adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods).
—Sonja Sharp, latimes.com, 27 June 2018
Noun
The authors observe that Yemeni Jews share elevated IBD with other Jewish populations, suggesting more than an indigenous proselyte origin for this community.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2012
Seneca went on to become a proselyte for the Stoic path, extolling its benefits in a long run of prose essays while also serving—in some eyes, dishonorably—as an adviser to Nero.
—James Romm, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021
Rashi concludes that the text, therefore, must refer to a ger, a proselyte, who has died leaving no next of kin among the Jewish People.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
The law of gezel hager (stealing from a proselyte) reminds us that the Torah was given to all Jews – including converts.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
In order to understand this idea, the special relationship between God and the proselyte must be examined.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021
Kitselman also became a proselyte for the history of Waterford, helping to create educational programming at the town’s Second Street School.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2021
Christian Angermayer is an unlikely proselyte of psychedelia: The German financier didn’t drink so much as a sip of beer for the first three decades of his life.
—Meghana Keshavan, Scientific American, 9 July 2019
Enter proselytes in acetate eyeglasses and Rosie Pope workwear, drawn by listservs like Brooklynitos and Fort Greene Kids and BoCoCa Moms (BoCoCa being an acronym for three adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods).
—Sonja Sharp, latimes.com, 27 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proselyte
Noun
-
That may still be true, but Forefront was most certainly at the forefront of FBI's finale, nearly pulling off a coup that would've put it (and the group's recruits inside the Bureau) at the head of the agency.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
-
Organizations are forced to compete for top-tier recruits, and a lengthy search for the right person means key positions end up sitting vacant.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
Months after the expose ran in late 2023, Brand also converted to Christianity and has been outspoken about his new faith.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
30 May 2025
-
Entering the final year of his three-year contract with the New Jersey Devils, Haula’s full no-trade protection will convert to a six-team no-trade clause on July 1.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
That left newcomer Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis and Mason Pline as the main players at the position.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
The newcomer even adjusted to last-minute changes without difficulty.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
However, state officials argue that the Catholic Charities Bureau does not qualify because its services—such as caring for the elderly and disabled—are not overtly religious or tied to proselytizing.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
-
And Justice Elena Kagan pointed out that some religions proselytize and some don’t.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Proselyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proselyte. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share