ENGLISH
REFERENCE

missionary

n. · adj.
US //ˈmɪʃəˌnɛɹi// UK //mˈɪʃənəɹi// mis·sion·ary
  1. 1 religious messenger (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Religion

    a person who travels to a different place or country to teach their religion to others.

    a person sent by a church or religious organisation into an area to spread its faith or provide social services.

    Example

    The missionary spent five years in the village building a school and teaching.

    Example

    The missionary's journals provide a detailed, if biased, account of the indigenous customs and languages encountered during the nineteenth-century expedition.
  2. 2 relating to a mission (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Religion

    connected to the work of a religious mission.

    pertaining to or characteristic of a religious mission or those sent to perform it.

    Example

    She felt a strong missionary calling to help people in developing countries.

    Example

    The organisation's missionary zeal was often at odds with the secular goals of the local government.
Origin

From mission + -ary.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026