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

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine $160 Williams Sonoma A selection of Italian cheese There are two types of people in this world: aperitivo-cheese evangelists and dessert-cheese evangelists. —Sophie Dodd, Bon Appétit, 11 Dec. 2024

Guy Kawasaki, who was Jobs’ chief evangelist at Apple, really knew Steve Jobs. —Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

By the early Seventies, a new generation of television-friendly evangelists — Jimmy Swaggart and Robert Schuller, among them — had risen, and Wilkerson, with his telegenic looks and fiery sermons, fit the mold. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 8 Dec. 2024

Soon hundreds of thousands of developers had signed up and become unpaid evangelists. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 21 Nov. 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"