Did you know?
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
Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
The fact that Nikki Haley continues to get votes in Republican primaries has confounded many reporters and pundits.
—Henry Olsen, National Review, 12 Apr. 2024
Sports economists and pundits are already discussing her impact on the WNBA, a league Clark hasn’t even played for yet.
—Macaela MacKenzie, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2024
In addition to her career as a producer and pundit, Meghan McCain is currently a columnist for the Daily Mail’s website.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024
But today there are many politicians and pundits who would like us to believe that the great contributions of immigrants stopped somewhere in the late 1800s with the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Though, critics and pundits alike have praised the new design of the Prius for its sleek and refined exterior and more intuitive interior.
—Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Their campaign for the playoffs will be the talk of the town, defying polls and pundits alike!
—Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 27 Mar. 2024
Do national experts and pundits believe Texas can become the first franchise to repeat since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees?
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pundit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pundit
Cite this Entry
“Pundit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pundit. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share