preaching
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of giving a talk about religion or morals, usually in a church.
the delivery of a religious sermon or discourse, typically by a member of the clergy.
Simple“The priest spent many years preaching to his community in the small village.”
In context“His style of preaching was renowned for its intellectual depth and its ability to connect ancient scripture with modern social challenges.”
UsageOften functions as an uncountable noun when referring to the profession or activity in general.
Synonymssermonizingministry - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
giving unwanted advice about how someone should live or behave.
the act of offering earnest or tedious moral advice, often perceived as condescending or intrusive.
Simple“I'm tired of my brother's constant preaching about my diet.”
In context“The politician's preaching about family values felt hypocritical to many voters given his own complicated personal history.”
Teacher's tipIn modern informal English, this sense often carries a negative connotation of being 'preachy' or annoying.
Synonymsmoralizinglecturing
From Middle English prechynge.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.