CEFR C2

sermonize

verb

Meaning

Deliver a long, tedious, or moralizing speech to someone, often in an unsolicited or condescending manner.

Examples

  • She tends to sermonize whenever her friends mention their minor mistakes.
  • The professor started to sermonize about the decline of modern literature instead of answering the student's question.

Synonyms: lecture, preach, moralize, pontificate