as in lessons
a public speech usually by a member of the clergy for the purpose of giving moral guidance or uplift
a sermon whose message was that we should love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves
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Recent Examples of sermons
King’s ability to take ideas from White preachers’ bland sermons and convert them to stirring oratory was part of his genius, Miller says.
—
John Blake, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
Churchome had been moving toward remote worship already, rolling out an app with livestreams, bite-size sermons, and a live-chat function.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
With actual recordings of controversial sermons and tons of archival footage, the documentary investigates claims of cult-like control while exploring how Mary’s reality TV stardom complicated an already messy situation.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 1 Jan. 2026
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Reuters, NBC news, 25 Dec. 2025
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
On good days, Mani meditated, drank water, tidied his apartment, and listened to monk sermons.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
As a child, Wilson would shake this instrument during sermons in her South Carolina Baptist church.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
One of his sermons was so popular it was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
John Blake, CNN Money, 18 Jan. 2026
Churchome had been moving toward remote worship already, rolling out an app with livestreams, bite-size sermons, and a live-chat function.
—Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
With actual recordings of controversial sermons and tons of archival footage, the documentary investigates claims of cult-like control while exploring how Mary’s reality TV stardom complicated an already messy situation.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 1 Jan. 2026
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Reuters, NBC news, 25 Dec. 2025
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
On good days, Mani meditated, drank water, tidied his apartment, and listened to monk sermons.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
As a child, Wilson would shake this instrument during sermons in her South Carolina Baptist church.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
One of his sermons was so popular it was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sermons
Noun
-
Ruhe said the debate reflects lessons learned from nearly two years of war.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Other teachers who are part of the ARTLC testify to the immense difficulty of teaching these sorts of lessons without support from school administrators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Why are political speeches like a steer’s horns?—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This upcoming book is a collection of essays, speeches and creative nonfiction.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
No lectures, no homilies, no empty words.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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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
Noun
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While there’s some headline risk associated with OpenAI and its ability to pay its bills, recent reports of SoftBank talks to invest up to $30 billion more in OpenAI should ease some fears.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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United have so far not held substantive talks with Maguire over his future.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sermons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sermons. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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