Word
homily
Phoneticshomi·ly
US/ˈhɑməɫi/
UK/hˈɒməlˌi/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a short talk about morals or religion, often given in church during a service. People also use it for any serious talk that tells you how to live a good life.
n. a short sermon on a moral or religious topic, typically delivered as part of a Christian church service. Extended to any lengthy moralizing discourse on proper conduct.
Examples
“The priest gives a short homily every Sunday.”
“The priest ends the service with a brief homily about helping neighbours during the winter.”
“What began as a wedding toast slowly turned into a homily on patience, and the guests listened with polite smiles as the speaker listed decades of marital advice.”
Examples
simple
“The priest gives a short homily every Sunday.”
contextual
“The priest ends the service with a brief homily about helping neighbours during the winter.”
complex
“What began as a wedding toast slowly turned into a homily on patience, and the guests listened with polite smiles as the speaker listed decades of marital advice.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “homily” in context.
Verb
01. deliver homily
“The bishop will deliver a homily on compassion during the service.”
verb + noun
02. hear homily
“We heard a moving homily on caring for refugees.”
verb + noun
03. homily focuses
“His homily focuses on mercy, humility and service to others.”
noun + verb
04. homily stresses
“Today's homily stresses the importance of forgiving neighbours.”
noun + verb
05. homily urges
“The homily urges believers to act with kindness every day.”
noun + verb
06. listen to homily
“The congregation listened to the homily in complete silence.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
07. brief homily
“The priest kept his sermon to a brief homily of ten minutes.”
adj + noun
08. moralizing homily
“We grew tired of his long moralizing homily about modern life.”
adj + noun
Noun
09. delivery of homily
“His calm delivery of the homily held everyone's attention.”
noun + prep + noun
10. close with a brief homily
“The cardinal closed the Mass with a brief homily about peace.”
11. deliver a sunday homily
“Father Paul will deliver a Sunday homily on gratitude and generosity.”
12. listen quietly to the homily
“The children listened quietly to the homily without fidgeting.”
Etymology
From Middle English omelī, omelīe, omelye, from Old French omelie and directly from Late Latin homīlia (“homily”), from Ancient Greek ὁμῑλίᾱ (homīlíā, “homily; instruction”), from ὅμῑλος (hómīlos, “crowd, throng”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming abstract feminine nouns). ὅμῑλος is derived from ὁμός (homós, “common; same”) + ῑ̓́λη (ī́lē, “crowd”) (from εἴλω (eílō, “to aggregate”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/homily