homily

1 a public speech usually by a member of the clergy for the purpose of giving moral guidance or uplift <last Sunday's homily was about being kind to your neighbors> Synonyms sermonRelated Words sermonette; address, lecture, speech, talk; exhortation, preachment; lesson

2 an idea or expression that has been used by many people <a TV movie filled with the usual hokey homilies about people triumphing over life's adversities> Synonyms banality, bromide, chestnut, cliché (also cliche), groaner, commonplace, platitude, shibboleth, trope, truismRelated Words conventional wisdom, party line, routine; inanity; generality, generalization, simplification; adage, proverb, saw, saying; old wives' tale, stereotypeNear Antonyms profundity