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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
C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 27 Apr. 2025
The Tennessee Titans selected Miami quarterback Cam Ward as the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday's NFL Draft, a drama-free move that had been predicted for weeks by football pundits.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2025
After Minnesota’s resounding Game 1 win on Saturday to claim a 1-0 advantage over the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Edwards was asked what the message was to the world after pundits across the globe had widely picked L.A. to win the first-round playoff series.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2025
Here is what football pundits are saying about the Chiefs and some rumors and musings.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pundit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pundit. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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