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
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2
as in cliche
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
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Recent Examples of homily
The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, delivered the homily in front of mourners in St. Peter's Square.
—
Sean Keane, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2025
In keeping with tradition, the Mass will include a homily and communion and end with a final commendation and farewell.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
Francis and Fernández de Kirchner were unfriendly neighbors in Plaza de Mayo, the central square that hosts both the government headquarters and the cathedral where Francis delivered homilies during much of her presidency from 2007 to 2015.
—Almudena Calatrava and Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
This led to quotable homilies and memorable insults.
—The Editors, National Review, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for homily
Sean Keane, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2025
In keeping with tradition, the Mass will include a homily and communion and end with a final commendation and farewell.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
Francis and Fernández de Kirchner were unfriendly neighbors in Plaza de Mayo, the central square that hosts both the government headquarters and the cathedral where Francis delivered homilies during much of her presidency from 2007 to 2015.
—Almudena Calatrava and Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
This led to quotable homilies and memorable insults.
—The Editors, National Review, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for homily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homily
Noun
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Since 2016, Campbell's sermons have been broadcast to a national audience on the PTL Television Network.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
12 May 2025
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Sunday sermons have avoided direct criticism of Washington’s pettiness, foul language, mismanagement and lies.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2025
Noun
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The old cliche about a blind squirrel seems apropos for this group.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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All while staying far, far away from the tropes and cliches associated with your typical medical drama.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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When any Democratic politician, including Gov. JB Pritzker, dares to stand up to extreme Republican rhetoric with any language beyond polite pablum and pious platitudes, pundits tell Democrats to lower the volume, cut the contempt and be nice.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
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Retreats have this effect on a person, bring out in you the worst platitudes.—
Lamorna Ash,
The Dial,
6 May 2025
Noun
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The teenage Miller invited Horowitz to speak at Santa Monica High School in the early aughts, entranced by his bromides against multiculturalism.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2025
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South Carolina and other states had in the past had difficulty obtaining some drugs for lethal injections, including sodium thiopental and pancuronium bromide, due to shortages.—
Kristin Wright,
NPR,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The non-concert footage is meant to bridge the personal and the political, and to convey the banalities and horrors of the early 1970s as well as to illuminate Lennon and Ono’s activism.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2025
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There are quick but indelible glimpses of signs for the whites-only ticket booth, waiting room, and rest room; when Stack, seeing a white woman nearby, orders Sammie to avert his eyes and walk away, the screen shivers with the ambient terror underlying the banalities of segregation.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As the old saying goes, blood — and directorial instincts — are thicker than water.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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An old saying suggests a series isn’t a series until the road team wins a contest on the opponent’s home floor.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
8 May 2025
Noun
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Democrats who look to California for inspiration would do well to keep that simple truism in mind.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2025
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All the players corroborate a truism: Politics attracts deformed personalities featuring an insatiable lust of power for the sake of power to fuel self-esteem.—
Bruce Fein,
Baltimore Sun,
1 May 2025
Noun
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The difficulty that arises is reminiscent of the old proverb about blind men groping different parts of an elephant.—
Dan McLaughlin,
National Review,
6 May 2025
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Even the most nonsensical attempts at new proverbs resulted in a confident explanation from Google's AI Overview, created right there on the spot.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homily. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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