Pontifical
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A book containing the offices, or formulas, used by a pontiff.
"Both ordines are related to an ordo in a pontifical in Reims, the Ordo of 1200 (Ordo XIX). The latter was to be consulted again and again, and its formulas were to have a marked effect upon the French ceremony; […]"
- 2 the vestments and other insignia of a pontiff (especially a bishop) wordnet
- 1 Of or pertaining to a pontiff.; Of or pertaining to a bishop; episcopal.
- 2 Of or pertaining to a pontiff.; Of or pertaining to a pope; papal.
- 3 Pompous, dignified or dogmatic.
- 4 Splendid; magnificent.
- 5 Of or pertaining to the pontifices of Ancient Rome.
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- 6 Of or relating to the building or forming of bridges. poetic
"Now had they brought the work by wondrous art / Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock / Over the vexed abyss."
- 1 puffed up with vanity wordnet
- 2 denoting or governed by or relating to a bishop or bishops wordnet
- 3 proceeding from or ordered by or subject to a pope or the papacy regarded as the successor of the Apostles wordnet
Example
More examples"The two-month course began at the "Regina Apostolorum," one of Rome's prestigious pontifical universities. The course has been described as both "theoretical and practical" and is open to priests and theology students only. Teachers include exorcists and psychiatrists. One of the issues that will be addressed is how to tell the difference between someone who is possessed and someone who simply has psychological problems."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin pontificālis.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.