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

Relevance
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
  • His apocalyptic sermons taught that his followers and their children should starve themselves to death to get into heaven before the end of the world, per Reuters.
    — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye, charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara, sang.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of sermon
Noun
  • Hughes offered the usual interview platitudes and seemed to be pleased with how his team was playing.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • But the platitudes offered by Sakic for Bednar and Bednar for Sakic ignore the Avs’ 20-18 playoff record since winning the cup.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of platitude
Noun
  • At the time, the state used a three-drug execution protocol of midazolam, vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The protocol involved an administration of an anesthetic, sodium thiopental, followed by pancuronium bromide, a paralytic agent, and finally by potassium chloride to stop the heart, all in much higher doses than they’re typically used.
    — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of bromide
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The sentences, packed with jargon, beat me down with their elaborate banality.
    — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of banality
Noun
  • An old saying goes that a postseason series doesn’t truly start until the road team wins a game, so the Tampa Bay Rays better hope the Fall Classic doesn’t end anytime soon.
    — Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The only constant is change, as the saying goes, and workers are wearing thin because of it.
    — Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of saying
Noun
  • With all the hype surrounding potential uses of AI tools, this is a truism that too often gets forgotten.
    — Bryan Mistele, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Wars cannot be fought on ideology alone – a truism that perhaps led to the firebrand former defense minister’s departure, after months of clashes and refusing to deal with the army top brass, as Zelensky describes it.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of truism
Noun
  • In American sports, namely college and professional football, head coaches often land on one singular proverb after a victory.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The underlying lesson of the proverb dates back at least to the time of the first Olympics in Greece — nearly 3,000 years ago, for those counting at home.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of proverb
Noun
  • But romances, especially of the sort SJM has written in the past, usually develop through tropes, such as enemies-to-lovers or second-chance romance.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Belying his long history as a Chamber of Commerce Republican, Husted ran through familiar tropes of right-wing populism, blaming Democrats exclusively for fifty years of the valley’s job losses.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of trope

Browse Nearby Words

homilies
homily
homing
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Homily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homily. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on homily

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about homily

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All