pundit

American  

[puhn-dit] / ˈpʌn dɪt /

noun

1. a learned person, expert, or authority.

   This pundit's formal instruction in history, philosophy, and political science prepared her for activism in many campaigns.

   Synonyms:

   savant, guru, sage

2. a person who makes comments or judgments, especially in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.

   Opinions masquerade as news, while ill-informed pundits and vested interests cloud the issues and bend the truth into pretzels.

3. pandit.

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pundit British  

/ ˈpʌndɪt /

noun

1. an expert

2. (formerly) a learned person

3. Also called: pandit.  a Brahman learned in Sanskrit and, esp in Hindu religion, philosophy or law

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Pronunciation

See tenet ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

• punditic adjective
• punditically adverb

Etymology

Origin of pundit

First recorded in 1665–75; from Hindi paṇḍit, from Sanskrit paṇḍita “learned man” (noun), “learned” (adjective); of uncertain origin; perhaps akin to prajñā́ “knowledge” ( pro ¹ ( def. ), know ¹ ( def. ) )

Related Words

• buff
• cognoscenti
• expert
• intellectual
• philosopher
• professor
• scholar
• thinker