bully pulpit
noun
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Bully vs Bully Pulpit
Bully pulpit comes from the 26th U.S. president, Theodore Roosevelt, who observed that his time in office at the White House was a bully pulpit when he said, “I suppose my critics will call that preaching, but I have got such a bully pulpit!” For Roosevelt, bully was an adjective meaning “excellent” or “first-rate”—not today's familiar noun bully referring to an abusive meanie. Roosevelt understood the modern presidency’s power of persuasion and recognized that it gave the incumbent the opportunity to exhort, instruct, or inspire. He took full advantage of his bully pulpit, speaking out about the danger of monopolies, the nation’s growing role as a world power, and other issues important to him. Since the 1960s, bully pulpit has been used as a term for a public position—especially a political office—that provides one with the opportunity to widely share one’s views.
Examples of bully pulpit in a Sentence
Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 15 Jan. 2025
Guest had a bully pulpit and the vocabulary and drive to use it.
—David Whitley, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2025
Fading from public view as President-elect Donald Trump increasingly wields the bully pulpit, Biden started Christmas week by commuting the death sentences of 37 of the 40 convicts awaiting execution at the federal level on Monday.
—W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 24 Dec. 2024
Those range from influencing who sits on powerful advisory boards to undermining public confidence in vaccines from the bully pulpit.
—Caitlin Owens, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near bully pulpit
Cite this Entry
“Bully pulpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bully%20pulpit. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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