Meanings
plural preachments
- countableuncountablenow chiefly depreciativePreaching; sermonizing.First known use 14th c.
I have a reason, a new one, for this preachment upon a text you have given me.
1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter LXVIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn, […], →OCLC1 more example
He refrained too from making the occasion an opportunity for any preachment as to the maintenance of discipline […]
1888–1891, Herman Melville, “[Billy Budd, Foretopman.] Chapter [HTTP://GUTENBERG.NET.AU/EBOOKS06/0608511H.HTML 12].”, in Billy Budd and Other Stories, London: John Lehmann, published 1951, →OCLC - countableuncountableAn instance of preaching; a sermon or homily.First known use 15th c.
Many of the emerging powerhouses of globalization, like Brazil, are interested in democracy and the rule of law, but not in the preachments of the West, which they regard as laced with hypocrisy.
2015 September 12, Steven Erlanger, “Are Western values losing their sway? [print version: Did liberalism win? It's not clear, International New York Times, 14 September 2015, p. 7]”, in The New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Anglo-Normanprechement
- Englishpreachment
Partly from preach + -ment, partly after Anglo-Norman prechement.
More words from Anglo-Norman
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
preachment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preachment
“preachment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preachment. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “preachment,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/preachment.
Source: preachment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.