pontificating 1 of 3

pontificating

2 of 3

noun

pontificating

3 of 3

verb

present participle of pontificate
as in ranting
disapproving to speak or express your opinion about something in a way that shows that you think you are always right We had to listen to her pontificate about the best way to raise children.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pontificating
Verb
  • Last week, Fox premiered the new comedy Going Dutch, about a ranting conservative father (Denis Leary) forced to reconnect with his estranged liberal daughter (Taylor Misiak).
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
  • The Pats addressed two of their biggest needs, but instead in Tuesday’s paper there’s me, smiling in my headshot and ranting in print, a clueless dope.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 12 Mar. 2024
Adjective
  • The show perpetuates corporate media’s retaliation against those who oppose its leftist, Marxist, Communist, socialist agenda — the ideological myth favored by superficial and supercilious showbiz types ever since All the President’s Men and Network.
    Armond White, National Review, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Arthur is … a lot too, but with a supercilious edge?
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Copy Facebook Pinterest Photo by An Rong Xu From my airplane window, the Pearl River unfurled from fogged mountains in a glossy, pale-blue ribbon, a magisterial curve of water that defined the landscape with its flow.
    Bonnie Tsui, AFAR Media, 6 May 2025
  • And currently, there is Charles Gaines’ magisterial new works, Numbers and Trees, The Tanzania Baobabs, at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood (on view through May 31, 2025).
    Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Full sessions from each day will be available on the Weather & Climate Livestream's channel archives while the event lasts, and shorter clips from individual lectures will be made available after June 1.
    Joanna Thompson, Space.com, 30 May 2025
  • Free lectures The Learning is for Everyone, aka LIFE, group at MiraCosta College holds free lectures June 6.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2025
Adjective
  • The only pontifical name that hasn't been used more than once is Peter, the name of the first pope, though there's no prohibition against doing so.
    Christopher Watson, ABC News, 8 May 2025
  • Gregory and Benedict are also popular pontifical names with 16 and 15 uses, respectively,while Innocent and Leo come close behind with 13 uses each.
    Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
Noun
  • No beneficiaries were injured, no lives were lost and all food available was distributed without interference.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2025
  • Fed Chair Jerome Powell, though, has said the Fed won’t be swayed by political interference.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 28 May 2025
Adjective
  • Richard was known for being outspoken, if not arrogant, consistently rubbing his Tagi tribe the wrong way and offending some of them with his blatant display of nudity on the island.
    Nick Caruso, TVLine, 27 May 2025
  • Multiple people described him to me as unpopular and arrogant.
    Amanda Chicago Lewis, Harpers Magazine, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The resort’s Wellbeing Center will host a range of wellness activities and programs, aligned with Dr. Chopra’s lifetime teachings and Seven Pillars of Wellbeing.
    Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
  • According to her bio on the district’s website, Berkel is the daughter of multilingual Dutch Caribbean immigrants, and began her career in bilingual teaching as a Montessori Elementary teacher.
    Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pontificating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pontificating. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pontificating

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!