pontificated; pontificating
Definition of pontificate
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic way
He does not pontificate about whether one ought to choose, if forced to it, to betray one's country rather than one's friends …— Robin W. Winks What these interviews generally come down to is an invitation to writers to pontificate upon things for which it is either unseemly for them to speak (the quality of their own work) or upon which they are unfit to judge (the state of the cosmos).— Joseph Epstein
2a
: to officiate as a pontiff
b
: to celebrate pontifical mass
pontificate
nounDefinition of pontificate (Entry 2 of 2)
: the state, office, or term of office of a pontiff
Test Your Vocabulary
Name That Food
-
- Name these cookies!

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share pontificate
Time Traveler for pontificate
The first known use of pontificate was in the 15th century
See more words from the same century