AKICOLJ/DW

[nineveh_uk]

Help me, I seem to have forgotten a word and inexplicably do not own a thesaurus.

I want a synonym for "evangelist" in the sense of "person attempting to persuade another of a religion" rather than "John the E- ". I feel sure there is a word that exists that I can't quite remember and that would be better for my purposes; possibly I am wrong, but suggestions as to what it might be will be very gratefully received!

I seem to have failed to have an early night again, but never mind. At least this time it was in pursuit of fic.

ETA: Americanisms especially welcome.

Comments

[ankaret]

Proselytiser?

[white_hart]

That would be my suggestion too.

[nineveh_uk]

It was the other one I could think of, too - it's just so ugly! And also my character is rather drunk.

[white_hart]

Bible-basher or God-botherer?

[caulkhead]

Convertionist? (Have seen this on US websites, though not UK).

[nineveh_uk]

I've come across "convertite" before, so it makes sense convertionist exists. It has interesting potential, though not quite what I'm after.

[perennialanna]

Missioner? (Missionary tends to make one think either of colonial parts or Mormons. Or position, depending on filthiness of mind and level of the bottle).

[nineveh_uk]

I'd never heard of missioner before! Though I suspect it would most likely make me think of someone trying to avoid saying "missionary". I am going with "revivalist", which is rather perfect.

[lilliburlero]

Christian specific ones: revivalist? gospeller? Otherwise I'd third proselytiser I think.

(I don't have a thesaurus either, I discover: I spend a lot of time when writing typing '[word] synonym' into Google, which sometimes yields results and sometimes doesn't, but does often nudge me into supplying the word I want out of a crevasse in my brain...)

[nineveh_uk]

"Revivalist", also suggested by elmey is exactly what I was looking for.

*nods* I have typed my last vain hope. I shall be buying a thesaurus at lunchtime tomorrow, only waiting that long because I have a rare instance today of someone hosting me for lunch.

[antisoppist]

Let me know what the available thesaurus options are. I love my Bloomsbury Thesaurus but I bought it in 1997 and it doesn't seem to have been updated, which I need for work. Not a problem if you're writing fic set in an earlier time period though.

[nineveh_uk]

I shall! Tempting though it was to order one from Waterstones in a fit of annoyance, I thought that it was the sort of thing that would repay careful browsing.

The fic in question is set in late 1920s New York. I think it's my first go at an American protagonist* and I am far from convinced that the voice will be any good at all on that front, but never mind.

*Dorothy Parker RPF with bonkers crossover (not Wimsey). My mind is boggling a bit.

[antisoppist]

Revivalist makes me think of Little House on the Prairie so you're definitely on the right side of the Atlantic.

When I was looking for mine, I sat on the floor of the bookshop and looked up the same words in all of them. Bloomsbury was best for modern slang, but the problem is that it dates.

Boggle but do it anyway.

[nineveh_uk]

Boggle but do it anyway.

A fandom creed to live by!

[espresso_addict]

On the topic of thesauri, the online OED offers a thesaurus which I've found very useful, though it is limited to words with very similar meanings. You can get access via a UK library card. I own several print ones, but now rarely consult them.

[nineveh_uk]

I didn't realise the OED had a thesaurus, though I have access to the online one via work. I like paper versions at home - less bother than looking it up online via the office network - but I shall have to explore when I'm in the office.

[littlered2.livejournal.com]

Proselytiser?

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

"Proselytiser" is the one I could think of, but thought there had to be something better :-) It's such an ugly-sounding word - also I have doubts as to the ability of my drunk character to say it!

[elmey.livejournal.com]

snake oil salesman?

In the US, we sometimes use the word "revivalist" for evangelical preachers. I don't actually know the ins and outs of which religions would be part of that.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Yes! I had completely forgotten "revivalist" and it is absolutely perfect for several reasons. Thank you!

[executrix.livejournal.com]

If the person is trying to make an argument in favor of the religion (e.g., CS Lewis' non-fiction works), "apologist."

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Not quite - but it's fascinating seeing how well LJ/DW functions as a thesaurus!

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

"Prosletyzer" is kind of ugly, but it's the first word that comes to mind. Or "missionary," but that seems to imply someone who's going to another country, rather than buttonholing random people in the supermarket parking lot.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

ETA: In the US, this activity is often called "witnessing," but I don't think the person who does it is a "witness."

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Too much potential for confusion with the Jehovah's Witnesses, perhaps.

Proseltyzer (in any spelling) is horribly ugly, which was one reason I didn't fancy it, the other being that I'm not sure my drunk character could actually say it, it is hard enough sober!

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Proselytizer is certainly what comes to mind for me.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

Alas it was for me, too! It just didn't quite seem to fit.

[dbassassin.livejournal.com]

Crusader? Missionary?

A lot of the synonyms that come to mind have overtly religious overtones, it seems.

Champion? Advocate? These don't really have the "selling" aspects of evangelist, though.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

The religious overtones are fine for the context, I just couldn't think of the right one (except proselytiser, which just felt wrong!).