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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
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
However, critics and awards pundits were hopeful Sinners would join the rare company of winners in the primary categories after scooping up multiple wins along the awards season trail.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026
Like Prejean Boller, Munshi is also a follower of Candace Owens, the right-wing pundit who has embraced a number of antisemitic conspiracy theories.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
Earlier in the awards cycle, some pundits wondered if Byrne’s prickly performance as the struggling caretaker of an ill child—prone to workplace crashouts during the day and evenings spent mainlining weed and wine after putting her daughter to bed—would even get nominated.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pundit
Cite this Entry
“Pundit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pundit. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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