Robin W. WinksJoseph Epstein
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We hate to drone on, so we’ll give you the TL;DR on pontificate. In ancient Rome, a pontifex (plural pontifices) was a member of an important council of priests. With the rise of Catholicism, the title pontifex was transferred to the Pope and to Catholic bishops. From pontifex, by way of Medieval Latin, comes the English verb pontificate, which in the early 1800s meant “to officiate as a pontiff”—that is, as a bishop or Pope. (Note that the noun pontificate), which refers to the state, office, or term of office of a pontiff had been borrowed directly from Latin in the 15th century.) By the late 1800s, pontificate was also being used derisively for lay individuals who spoke as if they had the authority of a member of the clergy. To this day the word connotes an air of spurious superiority—one might consider this sense of pontificate to be the spiritual forerunner of mansplain.
Examples of pontificate in a Sentence
Thomas Black, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023
The new format, which will run 20 episodes and be available in video and audio formats, includes wide-ranging chats with the whole family as Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly, and Jack pontificate on everything from romance to true crime.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2023
Among his latest obsessions is pontificating on the investigation into the cocaine found in the White House on July 2.
—Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 17 July 2023
The title track to 1994’s Parklife is best remembered for its scene-stealing guest appearance by actor Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia, EastEnders), pontificating on his daily routine of having a cup of tea in the morning and feeding the pigeons.
—Al Shipley, SPIN, 12 June 2023
Mike pontificated about the government’s fire hose of free money, explained the mysteries of Vegas dice tables and daydreamed about his fantasy baseball team having a big finish.
—Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, 28 May 2023
Cooper is in the middle of pontificating about danger and protecting the world and whatnot, when an actual Skype call appears on the big screen.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 May 2023
This wasn’t just a two-time MVP pontificating after a shocking defeat though.
—Journal Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2023
Instead, characters nobly pontificate or murmur gnomically about whether the young hero, Paul Atreides, is or isn’t the Kwisatz Haderach, the promised warrior prophet who will lead the tough and fiercely independent Fremen to victory over their brutal oppressors.
—Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2021
Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2023
History's first Latin American pope has made the plight of migrants a priority of his 10-year pontificate, traveling to Lampedusa in his first trip as pope to honor migrants who drowned.
—Nicole Winfield and Sylvie Corbet The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2023
Many Vatican watchers consider the synod to be a defining moment of the Francis pontificate, since the official agenda includes hot-button issues such as the role of women in decision-making roles in the church, the acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics and celibacy for priests.
—Nicole Winfield, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Sep. 2023
The Catholic bishops in the United States have faced criticism over the 10 years of Pope Francis's pontificate for not wholeheartedly embracing the pope's more liberal approach to leading the Catholic Church than the more conservative popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II.
—Jeremiah Poff, Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2023
His pontificate, which lasted eight years, was a muted coda to John Paul’s.
—Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2023
The guidelines, which are based on Catholic principles including social solidarity and human rights, also reflect the priorities of Pope Francis, who has made protection of the environment and economic justice signature causes of his pontificate.
—Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2022
Now, for the first time in his pontificate, there are zero ex-popes.
—Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2023
The large increase in the number of electors could raise speculation that the pope could be preparing for the end of his pontificate.
—Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, 9 July 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pontificate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Verb
Medieval Latin pontificatus, past participle of pontificare, from Latin pontific-, pontifex
Noun
Middle English, from Latin pontificatus, from pontific-, pontifex
Verb
1818, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined above
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Dictionary Entries Near pontificate
Cite this Entry
“Pontificate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pontificate. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
pontificate
1 of 2 noun
pontificate
2 of 2 verb
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