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

He retired in 2013 after making 737 appearances for the club and has since become a pundit, appearing on Sky Sports and CBS Sports.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

While Neville started out in the media as a pundit with Sky Sports, the 51-year-old is now one of the biggest players in a rapidly changing industry.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha, a pundit on Wednesday's Match of the Day, said Odegaard "will want to have a bigger impact on the team this season".

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

"I don't think he has to show his importance to Liverpool, I think everyone knows the qualities he has got anyway," said Warnock, who was a pundit on Wednesday's Match of the Day.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

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

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Many pundits say that’s a problem, but it’s complicated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Instead, the lawsuit and many internet pundits deny that Doe had the capacity to make choices at all.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

The literature laureate will be revealed on Thursday, with some pundits suggesting that the Swedish Academy could follow up last year's award to Hungary's Laszlo Krasznahorkai with a woman writer, possibly from Latin America.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

This time around, City prefer to keep their projections under wraps - but five wins from five Premier League games have prompted predictions from supporters and pundits they will again be the Gunners' closest challengers.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Even conservative track pundits were beginning to think that Louie might be the one to shatter precedent, and after Louie won every race in his senior season, their confidence was strengthened.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

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