ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pundit

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈpəndət// UK //pˈʌndɪt// pun·dit Archaic

n. an expert who often gives their opinion to the public on a specific subject, like politics or sports. You usually see them on TV news or read their articles in newspapers.

n. a person who offers to mass media their opinion or commentary on a particular subject area in which they are knowledgeable. Often used in the context of political or sports broadcasting.


SIMPLE

The political pundit predicted a close race.

CONTEXTUAL

After the game, a sports pundit analyzed the team's defensive strategy on the national news.

COMPLEX

While some viewers value the deep historical context provided by the veteran pundit, others argue that the format of cable news encourages sensationalism over genuine expertise.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Sanskrit पण्डा (paṇḍā) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-Iranian *-tás Sanskrit -इत (-ita) Sanskrit पण्डित (paṇḍita)bor. Hindi पंडित (paṇḍit)bor. Urdu پَنْڈِٹ (panḍiṭ)bor. English pundit Borrowed from Hindi पंडित (paṇḍit) / Urdu پنڈت (panḍit), from Sanskrit पण्डित (paṇḍita, “scholar, learned man, teacher, philosopher”). Doublet of pandit.

Usage

Often used with a modifier to specify the field of expertise, such as 'political pundit' or 'financial pundit'.

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