evangelist

noun

evan·​ge·​list i-ˈvan-jə-list 

1

often capitalized : a writer of any of the four Gospels

2

: a person who evangelizes

specifically : a Protestant minister or layman who preaches at special services

3

: an enthusiastic advocate

an evangelist for physical fitness

Examples of evangelist in a Sentence

an evangelist of space exploration

Recent Examples on the Web

Last spring, during one of my reconnaissance trips to Los Angeles, a friend suddenly gripped my elbow like an evangelist. —Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024

Bailey was part of a small army of bitcoin fanatics who indoctrinated Trump in all things bitcoin and helped turned him from a skeptic to an evangelist. —Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2024

After seeing Tammy Faye, the biographical musical about the late American evangelist Tammy Faye Messner, her son, Jay Bakker, hopped on a video call with Elton John, who wrote the music for it. —Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 13 Oct. 2024

Analysis by Allison Morrow | CNN New York — AI hasn’t quite delivered the job-killing, cancer-curing utopia that the technology’s evangelists are peddling. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

evangelist

noun

evan·​ge·​list i-ˈvan-jə-ləst 

: a Christian preacher who goes about from place to place trying to change or increase people's religious feelings

Etymology

Middle English evangelist "one of the writers of the four Gospels," from early French and Latin evangelista (same meaning), from Greek euangelizein "to preach the gospel," from euangelion "good news, gospel," from eu- "good" and angelos "messenger, angel"