proselyte

1 of 2

noun

pros·​e·​lyte ˈprä-sə-ˌlīt How to pronounce proselyte (audio)
Synonyms of proselytenext
: a new convert (as to a faith or cause)

proselyte

2 of 2

verb

proselyted; proselyting
: proselytize

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of proselyte in a Sentence

Noun an adult proselyte who had only recently been baptized Verb she's been trying to proselyte everyone in the office ever since she joined that church
Recent Examples on the Web
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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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English proselite, from Anglo-French prosilite, from Late Latin proselytus proselyte, alien resident, from Greek prosēlytos, from pros near + -ēlytos (akin to ēlythe he went) — more at pros-, elastic

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1624, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of proselyte was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

prosecutrix
proselyte
proselyter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Proselyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proselyte. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

proselyte

noun
pros·​e·​lyte
ˈpräs-ə-ˌlīt
: a new convert especially to a religion

More from Merriam-Webster on proselyte

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about proselyte

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