The original pundits were highly respected teachers and leaders in India. Their title was taken from the Hindi word pandit, a term of respect for a wise person that itself derives from the Sanskrit pandita, meaning "learned." English speakers began using the form pundit specifically to refer to those Hindu sages as long ago as the 1600s. By the 1800s, they had also extended the term to refer to other sagacious individuals, and now pundit is often used with a hint of sarcasm to refer to informed opinion makers (such as political commentators, financial analysts, and newspaper columnists) who boldly share their views (sometimes at great length) on just about any subject that lies within their areas of expertise.
Examples of pundit in a Sentence
a moral question that has puzzled the pundits throughout the ages
the new mini laptop has gotten a thumbs-up from industry pundits
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pundit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
: a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and who expresses ideas and opinions about that subject publicly (such as by speaking on television and radio shows)