preachify
|preach-i-fy|
/ˈpriː.tʃɪ.faɪ/
make preachy
Etymology
'preachify' originates from modern English, formed by combining the verb 'preach' and the productive suffix '-ify' (ultimately from Latin '-ificare' via French '-ifier'), where 'preach' meant 'to proclaim or deliver a sermon' and '-ify' meant 'to make or cause to be'.
'preach' changed from Late Latin 'praedicare' into Old English (e.g. 'preacian' / 'precan'), then into Middle English 'prechen', and eventually the modern English 'preach'. The suffix '-ify' derives from Latin 'facere' through Romance languages and was adopted into English to form causative/transformative verbs.
Initially (in Latin) it meant 'to proclaim' or 'to make known'; over time the meaning narrowed to 'to deliver a sermon' in English. The coinage 'preachify' extends that history by meaning 'to make something sermon-like' in contemporary usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
noun form of 'preachify': the act or process of making something preachy or sermon-like.
The preachify of the speech distracted the audience.
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Noun 2
noun form (agent): a person who preachifies—someone who turns remarks or messages into moralizing sermons.
He's a preachify who can't resist turning any story into a sermon.
Synonyms
Verb 1
to make (something) sermon-like or overly moralizing; to turn a talk, text, or situation into a sermon or moral lecture.
They tried to preachify the meeting with moral lectures.
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Adjective 1
made to be preachy; having a sermon-like or moralizing tone (adjective form derived from 'preachify').
The preachify tone made the article less enjoyable.
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Last updated: 2025/09/02 07:09