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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There have been pure hammerings inflicted by a magisterial opponent, there have been vain attempts to keep the score down, there have been have-a-go failures and defensive mishaps.—
George Caulkin,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
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The scholar Stewart Patrick, an expert on international institutions, examines this history in detail in his magisterial book, The Best Laid Plans.—
Michael J. Mazarr,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Aug. 2018
Noun
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Central Florida Stamp Club: Meetings include auctions and informative lectures.—
Joe Rassel,
Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2025
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More than 20% of OB-GYN residents reported receiving no menopause lectures during residency.—
Ashley May,
Axios,
5 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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An investigation was launched, and a felony warrant for custodial interference was issued, Othram said in a news release.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2025
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Although improvements and breakthroughs are being made constantly, systems that are accessible today suffer from low fault tolerance, high rates of error caused by qubits decaying out of their quantum state, and extreme sensitivity to interference.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The actor has one daughter with ex-wife Melanie Griffith and has been dating his girlfriend Nicole Kimpel since 2014. 05 of 09 John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad The actor behind the arrogant Lord Farquaad boasts an impressive career that began decades before Shrek came out in 2001.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
1 Mar. 2025
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Many members of its board appeared arrogant in the face of questions from the prosecutor or one of the lawyers.—
Laia Cervelló Herrero,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This personalization allows parents to build an educational experience around their child's natural strengths rather than forcing adaption to a single teaching style.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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Listen to this article Aubrey Lay — a Fulbright scholar — was supposed to get paid for three months of work by the U.S. government through his teaching assistantship at a school for Ukrainian refugees in Estonia.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pontificating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pontificating. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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