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''proselytize'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''proselytize'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260606185347-00-⌔

proselytize - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Verb

proselytize (third-person singular simple present proselytizes, present participle proselytizing, simple past and past participle proselytized)

  • (ambitransitive, broadly) To advertise one’s religious beliefs; to convert (someone) to one’s own faith or religious movement or encourage them to do so.
    • ✤ Synonyms: evangelize, convert
    • (ambitransitive, strictly) To coerce into religious conversion.
      • ✤ Synonym: convert
      • ✤ Coordinate term: evangelize
    • ✤ One of these[people] whom they endeavour to proselytize.1
    • ✤ “I am not sent here to proselytize. My church is not in that business.”2
    • ✤ Counterterrorism officials believe bin Laden has set up cells to proselytize the large Middle East expatriate population living in the area.3
    • ✤ It is illegal to proselytize [children] in some countries
  • (by extension, ambitransitive) To advertise a non-religious belief, way of living, cause, point of view, (scientific) hypothesis, social or other position, political party, or other organization; to convince someone to join such a cause or organization or support such a position; to recruit someone.
    • ✤ Synonyms: advocate, back, endorse, peddle, recruit
    • ✤ He has strong political views, and an annoying habit of proselytizing at parties.
    • ✤ Previously I promised not to proselytize miserism, but now I want to renege a little on that promise. If your family income is anywhere near average, you can scrimp and save and cut back for maybe two to four years […]4

Etymology

From proselyte + -ize.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /ˈpɹɒs.əl.ɪ.taɪz/, /ˈpɹɒs.əl.ə.taɪz/
    • Audio (Southern England): 🔊
  • (General American) IPA: /ˈpɹɑ.sə.lɪ.taɪz/, /ˈpɹɑ.sə.lə.taɪz/
    • (Canada) (in addition to the above:) IPA: /ˈpɹɑ.zə.lɪ.taɪz/, /ˈpɹɑ.zə.lə.taɪz/

Printed 2026-06-28.

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Footnotes

  1. 1796, Edmund Burke, A Letter from the Right Honourable Edmund Burke to a Noble Lord, on the Attacks Made upon Him and His Pension, […], London: […] J. Owen, […], and F[rancis] and C[harles] Rivington, […], →OCLC: ↩

  2. 1909, Ralph Connor, chapter 14, in The Foreigner: ↩

  3. 2001 December 10, Douglas Waller, “A Terror Threat From The South”, in Time: ↩

  4. 2010, Dolly Freed, Possum Living, page 149: ↩

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Secondary

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