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 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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of homily
In his homily to the crowd of some 200,000 gathered for his Mass, the pope set out a vision of leadership based on humility and conciliation rather than on top-down intervention.
—
Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025
In his homily during his inauguration Mass on Oct. 22, 1978, Pope John Paul II noted that popes had been crowned in the past, but said the focus should be elsewhere.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 18 May 2025
In his homily, Pope Leo at his inaugural mass, called for peace in Ukraine and of course Gaza as well.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 18 May 2025
Leo – who speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German, according to the National Catholic Reporter – began his homily by addressing the cardinals in English.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for homily
Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025
In his homily during his inauguration Mass on Oct. 22, 1978, Pope John Paul II noted that popes had been crowned in the past, but said the focus should be elsewhere.
—Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 18 May 2025
In his homily, Pope Leo at his inaugural mass, called for peace in Ukraine and of course Gaza as well.
—Nbc News, NBC news, 18 May 2025
Leo – who speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German, according to the National Catholic Reporter – began his homily by addressing the cardinals in English.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for homily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homily
Noun
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As a Catholic, I have been inspired over the years when many of the priests in my parish have asked for and been open to coaching regarding their sermons.—
Jay Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
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Here he is known for traveling the region’s mountains and coast for long hours by car, and occasionally on horseback, and for his forceful sermons in fluent Spanish.—
Marco Garro,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
Noun
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So at least in her case, the Wild West cliches hold pretty true.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
30 May 2025
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Nonetheless, there is a satisfying, compact completeness to their handling of the storylines of four different young mothers and sufficient grace notes are enabled in each case to stave off the cliches that occasionally threaten to engulf events.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Writing at length is to me always an act of learning and changing, in which authors can strive towards something more dimensional than a platitude on a placard.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 June 2025
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Craig starts off leading a stable (enough) existence, working a corporate job, exchanging platitudes with his teenage son Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer), ignoring hints of discontent from Tami, and taking pride in his big accomplishment of getting speed bumps installed on their street.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
9 May 2025
Noun
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The state uses a three-drug protocol of etomidate, rocuronium bromide and potassium acetate.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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But behind such vague bromides are specific national qualities that social scientists can identify and measure.—
Michael J. Mazarr,
Foreign Affairs,
21 June 2022
Noun
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So much of modern football discourse is taken up with banality, immaturity, petty insults, utterly vapid arguments about the size of rival clubs, or fanbases, or the length of trophy droughts.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
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In a video interview, James spoke about her favorite ax murderers, the banality of chain saws and Paul Bunyan.—
Sadie Stein,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Noun
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Adding witty sayings to the leaves of handheld fans, Knighten wanted to make a statement with her products in a fun and unique way.—
Ruth Etiesit Samuel,
Essence,
4 June 2025
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As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Bear in mind the truism that stock markets can always go down as well as up.—
Dr. Ronald Premuroso,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2025
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According to Joyce, however, this truism depicts both Bloomsbury and the Victorians as monoliths and prevents a nuanced understanding of the complex ways Bloomsbury engaged with its Victorian past.—
Jenny Noyce,
JSTOR Daily,
14 May 2025
Noun
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According to an ancient Neapolitan proverb, ‘More things happen in a day than in an entire century’.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2025
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To butcher a proverb, if Bielsa is for you, who in that corner of England could possibly be against you?—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homily. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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