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
Francis had established the Holy See’s first pontifical commission for the protection of minors early on in his reign.
—
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
Turkson resigned from that role in 2021 and was appointed to head two pontifical academies on sciences and social sciences.
—Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alvise Armellini, Joshua McElwee and Chris Scicluna, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
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
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
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
Turkson resigned from that role in 2021 and was appointed to head two pontifical academies on sciences and social sciences.
—Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alvise Armellini, Joshua McElwee and Chris Scicluna, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
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
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
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Many liberals and progressives were happy enough to get rid of the Communists, who had always been secretive, dogmatic, and, in general, hard to deal with.—
Beverly Gage,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Another crucial component is dogmatic blind devotion to a single over-arching goal by AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Traders do see the Fed cutting in June, but much can change between now and then, and a stubborn central bank could set off Trump again.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2025
-
The most glaring of those misses came against Arsenal in October, with Bournemouth trying to break down a stubborn defence following William Saliba’s dismissal.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Fan reactions in the comments were as opinionated as they were divided.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
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Media Bias/Fact Check also says that the blending of news with opinionated commentary on Fox News may blur the lines between factual reporting and partisan viewpoints.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Since then, White House officials have remained adamant about sticking by Hegseth, even as criticism has mounted in recent weeks and questions about his judgment have resurfaced.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
22 Apr. 2025
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Despite the significant decline, the Trump administration is adamant about shoring up the border to ensure it is left secure before leaving office.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Pontifical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pontifical. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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