pontificate
verb /pɒnˈtɪfɪkeɪt/
/pɑːnˈtɪfɪkeɪt/
[intransitive] (disapproving)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they pontificate | /pɒnˈtɪfɪkeɪt/ /pɑːnˈtɪfɪkeɪt/ |
| he / she / it pontificates | /pɒnˈtɪfɪkeɪts/ /pɑːnˈtɪfɪkeɪts/ |
| past simple pontificated | /pɒnˈtɪfɪkeɪtɪd/ /pɑːnˈtɪfɪkeɪtɪd/ |
| past participle pontificated | /pɒnˈtɪfɪkeɪtɪd/ /pɑːnˈtɪfɪkeɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form pontificating | /pɒnˈtɪfɪkeɪtɪŋ/ /pɑːnˈtɪfɪkeɪtɪŋ/ |
- pontificate (about/on something) to give your opinions about something in a way that shows that you think you are rightTopics Opinion and argumentc2Word Originlate Middle English (as a noun): from Latin pontificatus, from pontifex, from pons, pont- ‘bridge’ + -fex from facere ‘make’. The verb dates from the early 19th cent.