homily

noun

ˈhä-mə-lē How to pronounce homily (audio)
Definition of homilynext
1
as in sermon
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 & Similar Words

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2
as in platitude
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 & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of homily Earlier in the day, in his Easter homily, Pope Leo focused on retaining hope amid the violence of war, climate change and other suffering. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026 The following clergy are also set to participate in Cheney's funeral including Hollerith, who will offer the homily. — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025 No lectures, no homilies, no empty words. — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025 In his fiery homilies, the Monsignor seems to target one new congregation member per week, pushing for the victory of a walkout. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for homily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homily
  1. sermon
  2. platitude
  3. bromide
  4. banality
  5. saying
  6. truism
  7. proverb
  8. trope
Noun
  • The event felt less like a corporate meeting than like a weekly revival—part standup set, part science fair, part sermon, all of it fuelled by keg beer.
    — Claire Stapleton, New Yorker, 18 July 2026
  • Jesus taught his followers by his remarkable example, including innumerable healings, as well as through his sermons and parables.
    — Eric Bashor, Christian Science Monitor, 13 July 2026
Definition of sermon
Noun
  • As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, some of America’s most visible business leaders are doing more than offering patriotic platitudes.
    — Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • There’s passable yet indistinguishable music in this exact style dropping every day, but the difference with Chicago’s Fatso is that his lyrics feel like scraps of conversations that communicate his hurt without leaning on platitudes.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 24 June 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • The fire contained compounds from more than two dozen chemical families, including dangerous amounts of bromide, a naturally occurring element that can irritate the skin and mucus membranes.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 29 June 2026
  • The bromide has been debunked, but there is power — and delight — in making coffee shop drinks at home.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 25 June 2026
Definition of bromide
Noun
  • And yet for God’s sake, just look at the man—at his dispiriting attempts at humor, his weirdly off-putting outfits, his incessant posting of banalities and faux profundities and extreme-right disinformation on social media.
    — Mark O’Connell, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • But together, the whole is blander than the sum of its parts—a subtle banality humans can often implicitly sense.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 29 June 2026
Definition of banality
Noun
  • As the saying goes, hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.
    — Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
  • One person’s flip-flop is another person’s strappy sandal… or so the saying goes.
    — Talia Abbas, Vogue, 10 July 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • There’s a truism that all models are wrong, but some are useful.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
  • This is certainly true—and a rather banal truism.
    — The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • The reason can be explained by a Japanese proverb about the importance of leaving no mess.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026
  • Popeye the Sailor Man has been guzzling spinach since 1931 to build muscle, while the apple-a-day advice derives from a 19th-century Welsh proverb.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 5 May 2026
Definition of proverb
Noun
  • But every turn back to genre tropes has brought out new depths from the author.
    — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • With that old trope — that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026
Definition of trope

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homilies
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Cite this Entry

“Homily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homily. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about homily

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