as in opinionative
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 bishops further authorized a new edition of the Roman Pontifical for pontifical Masses, expected to be completed by 2027, with Vatican approval pending for some rites, according to the Catholic News Agency.
—
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
In its report, the pontifical commission highlights failures in the Italian church.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
The sprawling roughly 2,000-year-old property includes ancient Roman archaeological sites, farmlands, pontifical villas and lush papal gardens, with areas for organic farming and regenerative cultivation.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Related Articles For the past 40-plus years in the Philippines, Natori’s mother Angelita Cruz has been very close to the nuncios (who act as pontifical ambassadors), the designer said.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 18 June 2025
The only pontifical name that hasn't been used more than once is Peter, the name of the first pope, though there's no prohibition against doing so.
—Christopher Watson, ABC News, 8 May 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
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
In its report, the pontifical commission highlights failures in the Italian church.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
The sprawling roughly 2,000-year-old property includes ancient Roman archaeological sites, farmlands, pontifical villas and lush papal gardens, with areas for organic farming and regenerative cultivation.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Related Articles For the past 40-plus years in the Philippines, Natori’s mother Angelita Cruz has been very close to the nuncios (who act as pontifical ambassadors), the designer said.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 18 June 2025
The only pontifical name that hasn't been used more than once is Peter, the name of the first pope, though there's no prohibition against doing so.
—Christopher Watson, ABC News, 8 May 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pontifical
Adjective
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Very strong minded, very opinionated, but a good person.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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Investors have been unusually opinionated about the outlook for stocks for more than 18 months.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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For many — especially free-spirited hippies, wooks, and the whole wide jam-band universe — the dogmatic style of traditional programs can be a turnoff, an impediment to accessing a path forward.—
David Manheim,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
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Times of amazing progress, but also worrying backslides to dogmatic tribal ideologies and an extremely uncertain future.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Here are a few extra tips to get an even deeper clean on your window and door tracks, or how to tackle stubborn mold spots that won't go away.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
24 Feb. 2026
-
From eliminating multi-hour furnace cycles in glass manufacturing to reengineering how poorly soluble drugs dissolve in the body, Leonard Siebert is applying materials science to two of engineering’s most stubborn bottlenecks.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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First and foremost, Schottenheimer was adamant that this isn’t your grandfather’s approach to a 3-4 defense.—
Joseph Hoyt,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
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Woodruff, who was then just seventeen years old, has in the years since been adamant that he was pressured by police to incriminate himself and others.—
Austin Elias-de Jesus,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Malcolm’s subjects are very old-school, doctrinaire, rigid Freudian psychoanalysts who get involved in impossibly obscure academic debates.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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Even leaving these facts aside, neither the doctrinaire socialism nor militant Islam have ever improved any place on earth, and New York City will not be the first.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pontifical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pontifical. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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