Meanings
pontificate1
pontificate2
present singular third person pontificates · participle present pontificating · participle past pontificated · past pontificated
- intransitiveTo act like a pontiff; to express one's position or opinions dogmatically and pompously as if they were absolutely correct.
- intransitiveTo speak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner, especially at length.
"Do you hear that, Ryan? Your mommy is being a pontificating windbag."
2014 January 16, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain (webcomic), Comic 482 - Blood1 more example
During a policy discussion awhile^([sic]) back about New York issues, when Mr. Clinton began to pontificate, she told him that he did not exactly know what he was talking about and to hush up.
2007 May 13, Patrick Healy, “In New Role, Senator Clinton’s Strategist in Chief”, in New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
pontificate · noun
- Latinpontificatus
- Englishpontificate
From Latin pontificatus, from pontifex (“high priest”), from pons (“bridge”) + facere (“make”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →pontificate · verb
- Latinpontifex“high priest”
- Medieval Latinpontificō
- Englishpontificate
From the past participle stem of Medieval Latin pontificō, from Latin pontifex (“high priest”), from pons (“bridge”) + facere (“make”).
More words from Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian понтифика́т, попу́вам
- понтифика́т (pontifikát)state of a pontifex
- попу́вам (popúvam)speak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
Catalan pontificat, pontificar
- pontificatstate of a pontifex
- pontificarpreside as a bishop
- pontificaract like a pontiff
- pontificarspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
Czech pontifikát
- pontifikátstate of a pontifex
Dutch pontificaat, orakelen
- pontificaatstate of a pontifex
- orakelenact like a pontiff
- orakelenspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
Finnish paavius, pontifikaatti
- paaviusstate of a pontifex
- pontifikaattistate of a pontifex
- saarnataspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
French pontificat, pontifier
- pontificatstate of a pontifex
- pontifierpreside as a bishop
- pontifieract like a pontiff
- pontifierspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
German Pontifikat
- Pontifikatstate of a pontifex
Hungarian főpapi méltóság/rang/tisztség, pontifikátus
- főpapi méltóság/rang/tisztségstate of a pontifex
- pontifikátusstate of a pontifex
- pontifikálpreside as a bishop
- kinyilatkoztatspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
Indonesian pontifikat
- pontifikatstate of a pontifex
Italian pontificato, pontificare
- pontificatostate of a pontifex
- pontificarepreside as a bishop
- pontificareact like a pontiff
- pontificarespeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
Japanese 司教の職, 説教する
- 司教の職 (shikyō no shoku)state of a pontifex
- 説教する (sekkyō-suru)act like a pontiff
Polish pontyfikat
- pontyfikatstate of a pontifex
Russian понтифика́т
- понтифика́т (pontifikát)state of a pontifex
Spanish pontificado, pontificar
- pontificadostate of a pontifex
- pontificarpreside as a bishop
- pontificaract like a pontiff
- sentar cátedraspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
- pontificarspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
- poner cátedraspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
Swedish pontifikat
- pontifikatstate of a pontifex
Turkish ahkam kesmek
- ahkam kesmekspeak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner
Cite this entry
pontificate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pontificate
“pontificate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pontificate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pontificate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pontificate.
Source: pontificate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.