messiah

noun

mes·​si·​ah mə-ˈsī-ə How to pronounce messiah (audio)
1
Messiah
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.
In the end, as Walzer observes, there can be no messiahs in a democracy. — Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026 How to tell a true from a false prophet, the real Christ, returned in glory, from a dime-store messiah with a huckster’s charm? — Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 In Ireland, Christ sometimes had the appearance of a second-tier messiah in his own religion. — Literary Hub, 8 May 2026 As chronicled through the film, Lee’s followers began to see her as a female messiah while others marked her for persecution. — Andrew McGowan, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026 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

Rhymes for messiah

See All Rhymes for messiah

Browse Nearby Words

Messiaen
messiah
messiahship
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Messiah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/messiah. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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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.com: Encyclopedia article about messiah

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