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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
Roger Trapp,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
As for the Ball and Bridges trades, the early grades have been positive for the Hornets from most national pundits.
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Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
30 June 2026
Weiser, in his pre-election pep speech to volunteers Monday, acknowledged head-on that many pundits and political observers said Bennet had the race in the bag from the moment the three-term senator decided to head home.
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Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
30 June 2026
This included firing MasterChef host Gregg Wallace and Jermaine Jenas, a former Match of the Day pundit.
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Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
29 June 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 5 Jul. 2026.
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