pundit

American  

[puhn-dit] / ˈpʌn dɪt /

noun

pundits plural

1. a learned person, expert, or authority.

   This pundit's formal instruction in history, philosophy, and political science prepared her for activism in many campaigns.

   Synonyms:

   savant, guru, sage

2. a person who makes comments or judgments, especially in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.

   Opinions masquerade as news, while ill-informed pundits and vested interests cloud the issues and bend the truth into pretzels.

3. pandit.

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pundit British  

/ ˈpʌndɪt /

noun

1. an expert

2. (formerly) a learned person

3. Also called: pandit.  a Brahman learned in Sanskrit and, esp in Hindu religion, philosophy or law

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Pronunciation

See tenet ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• punditic
  adjective
• punditically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pundits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pundit

First recorded in 1665–75; from Hindi paṇḍit, from Sanskrit paṇḍita “learned man” (noun), “learned” (adjective); of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to prajñā́ “knowledge” ( see also pro ¹ ( def. ), know ¹ ( def. ))

Explanation

A pundit is a well-known expert, someone whose opinions show up on television, online, or in the newspaper. Some TV news programs are nothing more than a bunch of pundits arguing about current events. Why not just call them experts? Because pundit is a lovely word that is very close to its Sanskrit root, payndita-s, "learned man or scholar." Originally, a pundit was a "learned Hindu" or Sanskrit expert. Today's classic examples of the pundit are guests on talk radio and professional sports commentators, all brilliant dispensers of insights, statistics, and occasional hot air.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pundit pundits

"There was extra motivation for all the players at this World Cup to give Didier the ending he wanted, and deserved," said former France striker and BBC pundit Olivier Giroud.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt pressed Scott Jennings, the senator’s fellow Kentuckian and a GOP pundit for the network, to call him while they were on the air.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

But Klopp's presence at the World Cup, where he has been working as a pundit for German television, overshadowed Germany's campaign even before the team was eliminated.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Meanwhile charismatic Klopp, the former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund boss, has been a star pundit on German TV during the World Cup, being his usual funny and charming self.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

The Gillian addressing the crowd was styled and polished like a TV pundit.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

While viewers in the UK watching on BBC and ITV are seeing players refuel and hearing extra tactical insight from pundits, spectators elsewhere are taken away from the football to see companies selling their products.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

Despite pundits raising questions about the Knicks and their undersized 6-foot-2-inch superstar Jalen Brunson, the ball didn’t lie.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

BBC Sport pundits choose England World Cup XIs - who would you pick?

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

The alarm was immediate, with lawmakers and pundits invoking the specter of a graying, shrinking America unable to fund its elders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

The pundits spoke of his integrity, his intelligence.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• buff
• cognoscenti
• expert
• intellectual
• philosopher
• professor
• scholar
• thinker