Definition of proselytizenext
as in to convert
to persuade to change to one's religious faith the efforts of early missionaries to proselytize the Native Americans of Minnesota were largely unproductive

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 proselytize In West Africa, in contrast, radio station owners include religious groups proselytizing and individual commercial interests essentially limiting public media access to community broadcasting. Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Apr. 2026 But evangelical churches have proselytized in the region for two centuries. Febe Armanios, The Conversation, 16 Apr. 2026 For the other Massachusetts millenials out there, Bertucci’s (and those of us who proselytize it) did get a shoutout. Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 15 Apr. 2026 But proselytizing to Muslims by non-Muslims is a crime, and some other Christian denominations have faced persecution from Algerian authorities, who have closed their churches. Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for proselytize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for proselytize
convert
Verb
  • There are nods to the environmental devastation wrought by the cattle industry that dominated Southern California in the first half of the 19th century, as well as the Faustian bargain struck by Indigenous people who converted to Catholicism.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Mark Ford Rosemary Tonks emulated French Symbolist poets before converting to Christianity and renouncing all her own works.
    The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Proselytize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/proselytize. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on proselytize

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster