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
He’s recently complained of respiratory problems — with Vatican aides reading his homilies and speeches — and was diagnosed with bronchitis on Feb. 6.
—
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
Budde, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, delivered the homily at an interfaith prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on January 20 following Trump’s inauguration.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 24 Jan. 2025
Readings will be offered by Jason Carter and Joshua Carter, another grandson, and Andrew Young, the civil rights leader who served as Mr. Carter’s ambassador to the U.N., will deliver a homily.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
His discipline quickly reasserted itself, and with it his store of homilies.
—Peter Goldman, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for homily
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2025
Budde, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, delivered the homily at an interfaith prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on January 20 following Trump’s inauguration.
—Samantha Riedel, Them, 24 Jan. 2025
Readings will be offered by Jason Carter and Joshua Carter, another grandson, and Andrew Young, the civil rights leader who served as Mr. Carter’s ambassador to the U.N., will deliver a homily.
—Peter Baker, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
His discipline quickly reasserted itself, and with it his store of homilies.
—Peter Goldman, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for homily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for homily
Noun
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Entire chapters of the gospels are devoted to Jesus’s sermons, parables, and private conversations with His disciples.—
Dominic Pino,
National Review,
20 Apr. 2025
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According to Taylor Swift sermon is at 11 a.m. to noon, Sunday, April 27, inside the sanctuary at Coral Gables Congregational Church, 3010 DeSoto Blvd., and will stream online at gablesucc.org/live.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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During his two-minute tribute, Dr. Robby — who’s suffering from acute existential exhaustion on top of the day’s extra-fine grind — falls back on a handful of cliches.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
11 Apr. 2025
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The song, the first disco hit and an indelible gay anthem, here feels like a pandering cliche.—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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However, too often, sales kickoffs fall short of their potential, becoming mere exercises in rote presentations and motivational platitudes.—
Anjai Lal,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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Will Goldenvoice apologize — not just with corporate platitudes, but with meaningful action?—
Lee Trink,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But Lee, wise to how the heart stutters, didn’t pander to audiences with bromides like love is love.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
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Antihistamines to reduce the body’s immune response (e.g., diphenhydramine) Bronchodilators to open the airways (e.g., albuterol or ipratropium bromide and albuterol) Your healthcare team will continue to assess your health status and give additional medications if needed.—
Carrie Madormo, RN,
Health,
19 Oct. 2024
Noun
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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
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And as his fellow nominees have trudged through the Q&As, Chalamet has largely eschewed the traditional banalities of awards season.—
Ramin Setoodeh,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Read more The pathetic, slow-motion downfall of Barack Obama Houseguests and fish begin to smell after three days, as the saying goes.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
17 Apr. 2025
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As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.—
Fernanda Galan,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There’s a truism that outdoor dining was the one most visible silver lining of COVID’s disastrous impact on the city, and that seems plainly so.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2025
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This isn’t a Giants-specific truism, so the early returns can be meaningful, even in a small sample.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But Bluey’s comforted when Calypso tells her a proverb about a farmer who trusts everything will turn out the way it’s meant to be.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
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Whitaker nicknamed the place Sparrow Hall, a reference to a medieval saint’s proverb about a sparrow who flies over a royal banquet, feeling only a brief moment of warmth.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
17 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Homily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/homily. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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