messiah

noun

mes·​si·​ah mə-ˈsī-ə How to pronounce messiah (audio)
1
capitalized
a
: the expected king and deliverer of the Jews
b
: jesus sense 1
2
: a professed or accepted leader of some hope or cause
security, which the political messiahs promise—Vardis Fisher
messiahship
mə-ˈsī-ə-ˌship How to pronounce messiah (audio)
noun

Examples of messiah in a Sentence

They thought the new principal was the messiah the school had been hoping for.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Messianic Zionists in Israel and Armageddon evangelicals in America believe this will incarnate their respective, and different, messiahs. —Caise D. Hassan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024 Keith Gill, better known as the meme-stock messiah Roaring Kitty, has sold off his stake in the online pet retailer, divesting 9 million shares of the company. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024 Over the past few months, some of the most prominent people in AI have fashioned themselves as modern messiahs and their products as deities. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024 Off-kilter chocolatiers, desert messiahs, civil war-era heartthrobs, lone-wolf cannibals. —Riann Phillip, Vogue, 24 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for messiah 

Word History

Etymology

Hebrew māshīaḥ & Aramaic mĕshīḥā, literally, anointed

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of messiah was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near messiah

Messiaen

messiah

messianic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Messiah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messiah. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

messiah

noun
mes·​si·​ah mə-ˈsī-ə How to pronounce messiah (audio)
1
capitalized
a
: the expected king and deliverer of the Jews
b
: Jesus Christ regarded as the savior of the world by Christians
2
: a leader of some hope or cause : deliverer

More from Merriam-Webster on messiah

Nglish: Translation of messiah for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of messiah for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about messiah

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