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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
Ross Marchand, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2025
These two pairs are closer than some pundits seem to think, and the hands battles frequently seen at the net are a coin flip.
—Todd Boss, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Some Oscar pundits thought Torres might surprise and win best lead actress over Moore and Madison, the latter of whom became a contender after winning at the BAFTAs.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 4 Mar. 2025
Controversial conservative pundit and former The View cohost Meghan McCain's recent resharing of a social media post that some have deemed to be anti-trans has drawn the ire of Bravo personality and Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen.
—EW.com, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pundit
Cite this Entry
“Pundit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pundit. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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