homiletic

adjective

hom·​i·​let·​ic ˌhä-mə-ˈle-tik 

variants or homiletical

ˌhä-mə-ˈle-ti-kəl 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling a homily

2

: of or relating to homiletics

also : preachy

Did you know?

Homiletic came to us by way of Latin from Greek homilētikos, meaning "affable" or "social." Homilētikos came from homilein, meaning "to talk with," "to address," or "to make a speech," which in turn came from homilos, the Greek word for "crowd" or "assembly." Homilos and homilein also gave English, by way of Latin homilia and French omelie, the word homily, which is used for a short sermon, a lecture on a moral theme, and an inspirational catchphrase or platitude. Like homily, homiletic focuses on the morally instructive nature of a discourse. Homiletic can also be used derogatorily in the sense of "preachy."

Synonyms

• didactic
• moralistic
• moralizing
• preachy
• sententious
• sermonic

Examples of homiletic in a Sentence

tends to speak in homiletic aphorisms, which can be a little tiresome

Recent Examples on the Web

The preacher’s experience, insights and emotions all come into play when composing the homiletic text. —Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 6 July 2023

There’s a word for this style of narrative preaching—homiletic. —Jo Livingstone, The New Republic, 6 Apr. 2021

That interpretation of Kipling’s homiletic verse required her to overlook its gender-specific language, which is directed exclusively to boys who want to be men. —Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2019

There was no Jesus in that house, no Bible, no devotional materials of any kind, no crucifixes or homiletic asides, nothing. —Stephen Metcalf, The New Yorker, 19 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin homileticus, from Greek homilētikos of conversation, from homilein

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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