proselytize

English

WOTD – 18 September 2009

Alternative forms

proselytise (non-Oxford British English)

Etymology

From proselyte +‎ -ize.

Pronunciation

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

Verb

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

(transitive, intransitive, 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
1. (transitive, intransitive, strictly) To coerce into religious conversion.
  Synonym: convert
  
  Coordinate term: evangelize
- 1796, Edmund Burke, A Letter from the Right Honourable Edmund Burke to a Noble Lord, on the Attacks Made upon Him and His Pension, […], 10th edition, London: […] J. Owen, […], and F[rancis] and C[harles] Rivington, […], →OCLC:
  One of these [people] whom they endeavour to proselytize.
- 1909, Ralph Connor, chapter 14, in The Foreigner:
  “I am not sent here to proselytize. My church is not in that business.”
- 2001 December 10, Douglas Waller, “A Terror Threat From The South”, in Time:
  Counterterrorism officials believe bin Laden has set up cells to proselytize the large Middle East expatriate population living in the area.
It is illegal to proselytize [children] in some countries
(by extension, transitive, intransitive) 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.
- 2010, Dolly Freed, Possum Living, page 149:
  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 […]

Related terms

Translations

convert to one’s own faith

Chinese:
Mandarin: 傳教／传教 (zh) (chuán jiào; ㄔㄨㄢˊㄐㄧㄠˋ)
Czech: obrátit na víru, obracet na víru
Danish: omvende
Dutch: bekeren (nl)
Finnish: käännyttää (fi), tehdä lähetystyötä (religion)
German: bekehren (de), missionieren (de), seinen Glauben predigen, seinen Glauben verkünden
Greek: προσηλυτίζω (el) (prosilytízo)
Hungarian: megtérít (hu), áttérít (hu) (hitre, vallásra)
Japanese: 改宗 (ja) (kaishū)
Malayalam: മതം മാറ്റുക (mataṁ māṟṟuka)
Norwegian: misjonere
Polish: apostołować (pl) impf
Portuguese: converter (pt)
Russian: обраща́ть (ru) (obraščátʹ) в свою веру
Serbo-Croatian: preobratiti se, promijeniti vjeru, konvertirati se
Spanish: convertir (es), misionar (es)
Swedish: omvända (sv), proselytisera (sv)
Welsh: proselyteiddio

induce people to join a cause

Czech: získávat stoupence
Danish: missionere
Dutch: missioneren, werven (nl)
Finnish: käännyttää (fi), tehdä käännytystyötä, värvätä (fi)
French: prosélytiser (fr)
German: bekehren (de), überzeugen (de), (als) (Anhänger) gewinnen, für seine Sache gewinnen
Greek: προσηλυτίζω (el) (prosilytízo)
Greenlandic: please add this translation if you can
Hungarian: térít (hu) (hitre, vallásra)
Islandic: please add this translation if you can
Italian: please add this translation if you can
Norwegian: please add this translation if you can
Polish: apostołować (pl) impf
Portuguese: proselitizar, proselitar
Russian: завлека́ть (ru) (zavlekátʹ)
Serbo-Croatian: misionirati
Spanish: misionar (es), convertir (es)