pundit

noun

pun·​dit ˈpən-dət How to pronounce pundit (audio)
1
: pandit
2
: a learned person : teacher
3
: a person who gives opinions in an authoritative manner usually through the mass media : critic
punditry noun

Did you know?

It’s no hot take to say that the original pundits were highly learned scholars and teachers in India; it’s just a statement of fact. Our English word pundit comes from the Hindi word paṇḍit, a term of respect (and sometimes an honorary title) for a wise person, especially one with knowledge of philosophy, religion, and law; its ultimate source is the Sanskrit word paṇḍita, meaning “learned.” English speakers have used pundit to refer to sages of India since the 1600s, but as is typically done with English, they eventually pushed the word into new semantic territory. By the late 1800s, pundit could also refer to a member of what is sometimes called the commentariat or punditocracy—that is, the collective group of political commentators, financial analysts, and newspaper columnists often paid to share their views on a variety of subjects.

Examples of pundit in a Sentence

a moral question that has puzzled the pundits throughout the ages the new mini laptop has gotten a thumbs-up from industry pundits
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As former Liverpool defender turned pundit Jamie Carragher said towards last season, his commitment usually is one of the central assets. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025 Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who has penned best-selling books, ran unsuccessfully for office and gained fame as a conservative pundit with TV shows and a popular podcast, has been chosen to serve as FBI deputy director. CBS News, 23 Feb. 2025 Just a few months ago, many New York political pundits declared Mayor Adams the favorite. Michael Bocian, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2025 Entangled in the ensuing chaos is Mullen’s longtime aide/fixer/something Roger (Jesse Plemons), his former chief-of-staff Valerie (Connie Britton), the head of the CIA (Bill Camp), a Tucker Carlson-esque pundit (Dan Stevens), a Jeffrey Epstein-esque sketchy billionaire (Clark Gregg) and more. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pundit

Word History

Etymology

Hindi paṇḍit, from Sanskrit paṇḍita, from paṇḍita learned

First Known Use

1661, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pundit was in 1661

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Cite this Entry

“Pundit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pundit. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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