sermon
noun
ser·mon ˈsər-mən 
1
: a religious discourse delivered in public usually by a member of the clergy as a part of a worship service
2
: a speech on conduct or duty
sermonic
ˌsər-ˈmä-nik
adjective 
Synonyms
- homily
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He preached a sermon on the importance of kindness. Dad gave me a sermon yesterday about doing my homework.
Recent Examples on the Web The series merges vampirism with Catholicism in a terrifying trip to one small town’s Sunday sermon. 
Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 14 Sep. 2022 The most fun rumor, however, was that Kanye West – a one-time MIA headliner – was on the premises, hanging with Uzi Vert backstage, and set to perform a Sunday Services gospel-hop sermon the next day. Chris Willman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2022 My takeaway, especially from that Good Friday sermon, was that Midnight Mass was commenting on Evangelical Christianity. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2021 Pastor Jamie White preaches during her first Sunday sermon at First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Aug. 2022 Gutierrez later said in a Sunday sermon that the church had been requested to remove clips of the performance that were published online to promote the show. Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022 However, Gutierrez noted in a Sunday sermon that the church had received a legal request to remove clips of the performance published online to promote the show. Ariana Garcia, Chron, 8 Aug. 2022 Yet Gutierrez noted in a Sunday sermon that the church had received the legal request to remove clips of the performance that were published online to promote the show. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2022 Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is speaking out about an unauthorized performance of his Tony-winning musical at a Texas church that was allegedly altered to include Biblical references and ended with a sermon that made anti-LGBTQ+ statements. Bill Donahue, Billboard, 10 Aug. 2022 See More
Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 14 Sep. 2022 The most fun rumor, however, was that Kanye West – a one-time MIA headliner – was on the premises, hanging with Uzi Vert backstage, and set to perform a Sunday Services gospel-hop sermon the next day. Chris Willman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2022 My takeaway, especially from that Good Friday sermon, was that Midnight Mass was commenting on Evangelical Christianity. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2021 Pastor Jamie White preaches during her first Sunday sermon at First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Aug. 2022 Gutierrez later said in a Sunday sermon that the church had been requested to remove clips of the performance that were published online to promote the show. Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022 However, Gutierrez noted in a Sunday sermon that the church had received a legal request to remove clips of the performance published online to promote the show. Ariana Garcia, Chron, 8 Aug. 2022 Yet Gutierrez noted in a Sunday sermon that the church had received the legal request to remove clips of the performance that were published online to promote the show. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2022 Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is speaking out about an unauthorized performance of his Tony-winning musical at a Texas church that was allegedly altered to include Biblical references and ended with a sermon that made anti-LGBTQ+ statements. Bill Donahue, Billboard, 10 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French sermun, from Medieval Latin sermon-, sermo, from Latin, speech, conversation, from serere to link together — more at series
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
sermon
noun
ser·mon ˈsər-mən
1
: a speech usually by a priest, minister, or rabbi for the purpose of giving religious instruction
2
: a serious talk to a person about his or her conduct
sermonic
adjective
as in moralizing
marked by or given to preaching moral values the sermonic quality of many 19th-century novels written for young women Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- moralizing
- homiletic
- homiletical
- didactic
- moralistic
- instructive
- preachy
- sententious
- advisory
- prescriptive
- admonitory
- dogmatic
- admonishing
- dogmatical
- cautionary
- enlightening
- self-righteous
- holier-than-thou