panelist

American  

[pan-l-ist] / ˈpæn l ɪst /

noun

1. a member of a small group of persons gathered for formal public discussion, judging, playing a radio or television game, etc.

---

Etymology

Origin of panelist

First recorded in 1950–55; panel + -ist

Explanation

If you're a member of a group that's officially (sometimes publicly) discussing a specific subject, you're a panelist. Most panelists are either experts in the subject being discussed, or people whose lives are affected by related issues, developments, or changes. A group of panelists is called a panel, which comes from the Old French, in which it means "piece of cloth," and an Anglo-French legal meaning, "piece of parchment listing jurors." Panelist is an American English invention from about 1950.

Example Sentences

Another panelist, Paul N. Watkins, was a legal fellow at Consumers’ Research.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

A frequent panelist and moderator, Veronica’s expertise is backed by an M.B.A. from Fordham University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

If you’re nervous, 2026 is a year to plan, said panelist Chris Farrell, senior economics contributor at American Public Media’s Marketplace radio program and author of ”Unretirement.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 25, 2026

Whether it lowers “the marginal cost of human intelligence to zero,” as one panelist declared, or falls short of its promise, as another suggested, it is driving massive corporate spending and economic growth right now.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Years earlier, as a child panelist on “It’s a Wise Child,” he had been advised repeatedly to keep his distance from the microphone.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger