as in dogmatical
given to or marked by the forceful expression of strongly held opinions
a theater critic known for his pontifical pronouncements on what is or is not worth seeing
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Recent Examples of pontifical
The prose is confiding and, in places, pontifical.
—
Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2020
That revelation, coupled with other recent pontifical critiques, have quickly dissolved the notion that the Dec. 31 death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a symbolic leader of the church’s conservative wing, might lessen the opposition to Francis.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2023
Because of its original purpose, however, the building also has its peculiarities: the pontifical horses lived in grand style on two levels of soaring stalls, connected by a monumental, gently sloping ramp of travertine bricks.
—Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020
The prevailing view of Wordsworth—pontifical, orthodox, austere—was entrenched by the Victorians, who praised him for the very qualities the Younger Romantics had mocked.
—Matthew Bevis, Harper's Magazine, 23 June 2020
Lifting the rule of pontifical secrecy does not clarify church official’s obligations to comply with such requests.
—Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2020
The Vatican had previously argued that the imposition of pontifical secrecy was necessary to protect both victim and accused.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Dec. 2019
Critics said the pontifical secret was used to keep the scandal hidden, prevent police from acquiring internal documentation and silence victims.
—Nicole Winfield, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Dec. 2019
Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2020
That revelation, coupled with other recent pontifical critiques, have quickly dissolved the notion that the Dec. 31 death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a symbolic leader of the church’s conservative wing, might lessen the opposition to Francis.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2023
Because of its original purpose, however, the building also has its peculiarities: the pontifical horses lived in grand style on two levels of soaring stalls, connected by a monumental, gently sloping ramp of travertine bricks.
—Ingrid D. Rowland, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020
The prevailing view of Wordsworth—pontifical, orthodox, austere—was entrenched by the Victorians, who praised him for the very qualities the Younger Romantics had mocked.
—Matthew Bevis, Harper's Magazine, 23 June 2020
Lifting the rule of pontifical secrecy does not clarify church official’s obligations to comply with such requests.
—Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2020
The Vatican had previously argued that the imposition of pontifical secrecy was necessary to protect both victim and accused.
—BostonGlobe.com, 18 Dec. 2019
Critics said the pontifical secret was used to keep the scandal hidden, prevent police from acquiring internal documentation and silence victims.
—Nicole Winfield, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pontifical
Adjective
-
This particular tension is unlikely to go away; slow, dogmatic passing football has always been a hard sell in a stadium where arch-pragmatists like Mourinho and Antonio Conte were so enthusiastically embraced.—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
-
In the decades before Trump, Washington embraced a dogmatic neoliberalism.—
Oren Cass,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
One daughter, loving but stubborn, leaves for Vilna to study nursing.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The true top is still stubborn, though: In 2023 women made up just over 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs, 9% of the FTSE CEOs, and 5.4% of CEOs of the S&P Global Broad Market Index.—
Kweilin Ellingrud,
TIME,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Water signs may relate closely to wise and opinionated Owl while Earth signs may relate to the reserved and — sometimes gloomy — Eeyore.—
Athena Sobhan,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
-
Finebaum, a former newspaper columnist who moved to Charlotte in 2013, is its opinionated star.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Theoretically, then, the pressure is off, but Howe is adamant this season cannot be allowed to peter out.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
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And while head coach Carlo Ancelotti was adamant that Alvarez kicked the ball twice, Simeone wasn’t having any of it after being shown a clip of it by Movistar prior to heading to his post-match press conference.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Such preachy, doctrinaire, often repellant art may be made to draw attention to this or that social issue, but it is surely not produced to entertain.—
Peter Tonguette,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
-
In 2024, that worked, but the coalition that powered Trump’s victory drew heavily from those less engaged in politics and who ranged, ideologically, from doctrinaire social conservatives, such as Vance, to contrarian ex-liberals, such as Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2024
Articles Related to pontifical
Cite this Entry
“Pontifical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pontifical. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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