pundit

American  

[puhn-dit] / ˈpʌn dɪt /

noun

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

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.

Related Words

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