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