evangelist

11 synonyms and 2 antonyms for evangelist, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A person who preaches the Christian gospel, especially one who travels to hold public meetings and win converts.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

champion

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

preacher missionary advocate promoter proponent booster

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

revivalist crusader gospeller gospeler

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A person who preaches the Christian gospel, especially one who travels to hold public meetings and win converts.

“The evangelist drew crowds of thousands to the stadium.”

preacher missionary revivalist crusader gospeller gospeler

2. noun

An enthusiastic advocate who works to persuade others to adopt a product, idea or technology.

“She was hired as a developer evangelist for the platform.”

advocate champion promoter proponent booster

Opposites

critic detractor

How to use evangelist

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

television evangelist brand evangelist developer evangelist evangelist for change

Neutral in religious use; in business use it can sound overzealous, which is why 'advocate' is often preferred.

Etymology

From Greek euangelistēs ('bringer of good news'), from eu ('good') plus angelos ('messenger'), via Latin evangelista.

Full origin of evangelist →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an evangelist and an evangelical?

'Evangelist' names a role: someone who preaches or promotes. 'Evangelical' describes a broad Protestant tradition emphasising conversion, the Bible and personal faith, and is used as an adjective or for a member of that tradition. An evangelist need not be evangelical, and most evangelicals are not evangelists.

What does a technology evangelist actually do?

They build enthusiasm for a product among developers or customers through talks, demos, documentation and community work, and they carry feedback back to the product team. It sits between marketing, developer relations and engineering, and the title 'developer advocate' now often replaces it.

Is 'evangelist' always religious?

No. The secular sense, meaning a passionate advocate for something, is now very common, especially in business and technology. Context makes the meaning clear, and a modifier such as 'brand evangelist' removes any doubt.

People also searched

champion advocate critic missionary preacher promoter booster proponent crusader revivalist detractor

Nearby words

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