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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
Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025
More Phoenix Suns News: NBA Insider Says Kevin Durant Trade Could Save Mavericks From Luka Doncic Drama
Things have been so grizzly for Phoenix this season that many pundits and fans alike view an offseason Durant trade as borderline inevitable.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Salah would subsequently receive criticism, notably from Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, for speaking out.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
The pundits point out his game must be a bit rusty, given his lack of competitive play this year.
—Bob Spear, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 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 20 Apr. 2025.
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