as in hifalutin
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as in moralizing
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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
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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
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Not that Allen wasn’t above poking fun at a friend: In many of their films together, Allen presented Roberts as so cool-headed as to verge on the comically supercilious.—
Peter Tonguette,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
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Still, in many voters’ minds, the association between Democrats and supercilious scolding seems hard to shake.—
Andrew Marantz,
The New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The most complete studies were done by the British archaeologist and scholar Thomas Ashby, who scoured the remotest corners of the Roman Campagna from 1906 to 1925, and produced a magisterial tome, The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome, which was published posthumously by his wife in 1935.—
Tony Perrottet,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Mar. 2025
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Heston’s square-jawed nobility was rarely better exploited — not even a cameo from Jesus near the end can overshadow his magisterial heroism. 42.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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That earned him a gentle lecture from his mom about Michelle, and women in general, not being his property.—
Mara Wilson,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2025
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It’s become common to see Self lecture Storr about his defense on the sideline.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The prose is confiding and, in places, pontifical.—
Judith Thurman,
The New Yorker,
24 Aug. 2020
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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
Noun
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The high concentration of towering peaks provides the perfect habitat for these elusive creatures to flourish, while the area’s remote location and lack of human settlements has also allowed the local population of grizzly bears to thrive over the centuries without interference.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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The Wild coaches challenged the play for potential goalie interference, but the goal was allowed to stand, and Washington was awarded a power play for the unsuccessful challenge.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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So this kind of parallel can easily be drawn between Iran and other countries, [including those with] an arrogant isolation program, definitely.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Mar. 2025
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One of the targets of his reign of terror is arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen, played by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush admitted to the facility after being left partially paralyzed after a stroke.—
Simon Thompson,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Put core teachings into digital systems that deliver 24/7 regardless of your location.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Andujar and her fellow students have been able to internalize the teachings and apply them to their own experiences.—
Shahrzad Rasekh,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pontificating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pontificating. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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