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.
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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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Falduto utters the words as his character Billy to Dewey, playing the opinionated student who becomes the stylist for the band.—
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McHale stars as Frank Shaw, an overqualified, over-opinionated Animal Control officer who has an almost superhuman ability to understand animals.—
Adjective
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Origins of a dogmatic response Shortly after the IPCC released that finding in 1995, persistent and well-organized attacks on the science began.—
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Empirical studies gained prominence, and some economists, at least, recognized the need to be less dogmatic and to be more willing to draw upon insights from other fields, such as psychology and political science.—
Adjective
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These two ingredients mixed together creates a powerful mixture perfect for lifting stubborn stains off grout because of their high cleaning and brightening properties.—
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The vinegar cleaning method isn’t foolproof, and sometimes stubborn residue can remain on your microwave walls.—
Adjective
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Stephen Miller made these comments on CNN and was adamant that this would happen.—
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Although the film would have been far easier to finance if the production took place in another country, Hadi was adamant about shooting in his homeland.—
Adjective
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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.—
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Murdoch’s media muscle has been increasingly buttressed by his Wall Street Journal revenues as well as those of the doctrinaire Fox News.—
Cite this Entry
“Pontifical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pontifical. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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