You’ve got something to say. No, it’s more than that—you’re fired up, ready to make your case about the brilliance of the show you just binge-watched or the ridiculousness of those 4 p.m. Friday Zoom calls. You gather your thoughts, find the perfect words and lay out your argument with conviction.
You hit your final point and look around, expecting to see at least a raised eyebrow. But instead? Total, enthusiastic, immediate agreement. Heads nod. Someone says, “Exactly.” Another adds, “I’ve been saying that for years.” And suddenly, you realize: You’re not changing minds. You’re preaching to the choir.
Which, let’s be honest, feels great—but maybe a little pointless. But where does the expression preaching to the choir come from? And why has it stuck around so long? To find out, I turned to Grant Barrett, a linguist, lexicographer and co-host of A Way with Words, a national radio show about language.
Read on to unpack preaching to the choir’s meaning and to sing the praises of this spirited idiom.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more humor, cleaning, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.
What does preaching to the choir mean?
Preaching to the choir is an idiom that means trying to convince someone of something they already agree with. It’s often used when someone is passionately making a case but to an audience that’s completely on their side. At the heart of preaching to the choir’s meaning is calling out the irony of convincing those who need no convincing. In other words, it’s a lot of wasted effort spent on people who don’t need persuading.
What is the origin of preaching to the choir?
Like many sayings, preaching to the choir has an interesting path from sacred spaces to everyday speech.
Religious roots
The phrase comes from Christian church services, where members of the clergy deliver sermons to the entire congregation. The choir is made up of regular, deeply involved churchgoers who sing at various points during the service. If you’re preaching to the choir, you’re speaking to those who are already on board with the message—perhaps more so than anyone else.
Secular spread
This idiom likely began circulating in American churches in the late 19th to early 20th century, but it didn’t become commonly used in secular conversation until the middle of the 20th century. “The earliest written record that I can find of it is the 1970s, but I bet it’s a lot older than that,” Barrett says. That’s when it began appearing in political and social commentary, often to point out when someone was passionately restating ideas to an already like-minded audience.
Today
Preaching to the choir has gone mainstream. You’ll hear it in politics, classrooms, newsrooms, boardrooms and even on reality TV to signal that an argument is falling on already-agreeable ears.
“It’s one of those idioms that I think passes unnoticed for a lot of people, certainly in politics,” says Barrett. “Politics is all about the art of persuasion. When you find yourself arguing with people who agree with you, and realize you’re preaching to the choir, the phrase kind of naturally falls out of your mouth because politics is about bringing people into the choir.”
Why is it a choir and not a congregation, pastor or priest?
The pastor or priest, typically, would be the one doing the preaching. But what about the congregation? The word choir is symbolically important, according to Barrett, because the group of singers is positioned behind the preacher; it’s both visually and practically ironic to direct a message at them. In addition, they are often the most dedicated or devout members, participating in services every Sunday and fully aligned with the church’s teachings. “Anybody who’s committed enough to the church to join the choir is probably not going to dispute the liturgy,” he says.
The phrase highlights the redundancy more strongly than preaching to the congregation would. The whole congregation may have varying beliefs, but the choir? They’re all in.
What’s the difference between preaching to the choir and preaching to the converted?
These two phrases are closely related and often used interchangeably. Preaching to the converted, says Barrett, is a much older form of the phrase (first recorded in 1857, per the Oxford English Dictionary) and comes from the United Kingdom. Preaching to the choir is more of a U.S. saying.
But there’s a difference in emphasis: The converted once needed persuading but no longer do. The choir never needed convincing to agree with you. “Preaching to the converted brings about the spirit of evangelism, which is the idea of really selling somebody on a religion or a religious point of view,” Barrett adds. “So I think preaching to the converted is even more striking in what it’s saying.”
Both phrases share a similar spirit, but preaching to the choir’s meaning leans more on irony than transformation—you’re addressing the already devoted, not the recently convinced.
How would you use the phrase preaching to the choir?
This phrase shows up in casual conversations, workplace discussions and social commentary to point out that someone’s argument is redundant or misdirected. Here are a few real-world examples:
- “Hey, I love the planet! You don’t need to convince me to recycle—you’re preaching to the choir.”
- “My manager keeps stressing how important deadlines are, but we’re the ones staying late every night. He’s definitely preaching to the choir.”
- “When I vent about online trolls to my friends in digital media, I know I’m preaching to the choir.”
- “The mayor gave an impassioned speech about climate change at an environmental conference. She was clearly preaching to the choir.”
- “Dude, you’re preaching to the choir. I’ve loved that band since middle school.”
What are some synonyms for preaching to the choir?
Looking for another way to say someone’s making a point to people who already agree? Try one of these alternatives to preaching to the choir:
- Stating the obvious.
- Singing from the same song sheet/song book. “It evokes the notion of singing together in church,” Barrett says. “You’re on the same page—literally. You’ve got the same lyrics, you’re reading the same thing, singing the same tune.”
- Beating a dead horse.
- Telling us what we already know.
- Carrying coals to Newcastle. This British idiom means doing something unnecessary, as Newcastle was historically a coal-rich city and didn’t need more coal.
So whether you’re rallying a team, debating an issue or just venting to friends, remember: The real challenge isn’t preaching to the choir—it’s finding ways to reach those outside it.
About the expert
|
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experience where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this piece on preaching to the choir’s meaning, Jo Ann Liguori tapped her decades of experience as a copy editor to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Grant Barrett, linguist, lexicographer and co-host of A Way with Words; phone interview, July 9, 2025
- Online Etymology Dictionary: “Preach”
- Oxford English Dictionary: “Preach”
The post Here’s What “Preaching to the Choir” Really Means appeared first on Reader's Digest.
from Reader's Digest https://ift.tt/oci91YV
Comments
Post a Comment