pundit

/ˈpʌndət/
/ˈpʌndɪt/
IPA guide

Other forms: pundits

A pundit is a well-known expert, someone whose opinions show up on television, online, or in the newspaper. Some TV news programs are nothing more than a bunch of pundits arguing about current events.

Why not just call them experts? Because pundit is a lovely word that is very close to its Sanskrit root, payndita-s, "learned man or scholar." Originally, a pundit was a "learned Hindu" or Sanskrit expert. Today's classic examples of the pundit are guests on talk radio and professional sports commentators, all brilliant dispensers of insights, statistics, and occasional hot air.

Definitions of pundit
  1. noun
    a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
    synonyms: expert
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    types:
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    ace, adept, champion, genius, hotshot, maven, mavin, sensation, star, superhero, superstar, virtuoso, whiz, whizz, wiz, wizard
    someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
    agronomist
    an expert in soil management and field-crop production
    all arounder, all-rounder
    a versatile person who is expert at many things
    analyst
    someone who is skilled at analyzing data
    analyst
    an expert who studies financial data (on credit or securities or sales or financial patterns etc.) and recommends appropriate business actions
    anatomist
    an expert in anatomy
    antiquarian, antiquary, archaist
    an expert or collector of antiquities
    arbiter, supreme authority
    someone with the power to settle matters at will
    archer, bowman
    a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
    authority
    an expert whose views are taken as definitive
    black belt
    a person who attained the rank of expert in the martial arts (judo or karate)
    cabalist, kabbalist
    an expert who is highly skilled in obscure or difficult or esoteric matters
    calculator, computer, estimator, figurer, reckoner
    an expert at calculation (or at operating calculating machines)
    climatologist
    an expert in long-term weather patterns
    computer expert, computer guru
    an authority on computers and computing
    cosmetologist
    an expert in the use of cosmetics
    efficiency engineer, efficiency expert
    an expert in increasing the efficient use of machines and personnel
    exegete
    a person skilled in exegesis (especially of religious texts)
    genealogist
    an expert in genealogy
    geographer
    a scientist trained in the study of the earth's surface
    horticulturalist, horticulturist, plantsman
    an expert in the science of cultivating plants (fruit or flowers or vegetables or ornamental plants)
    investigator
    someone who investigates
    jurist, legal expert
    a legal scholar versed in civil law or the law of nations
    lapidarist, lapidary
    an expert on precious stones and the art of cutting and engraving them
    logician, logistician
    a person skilled at symbolic logic
    mnemonist
    an expert in the use of mnemonics; someone able to perform unusual feats of memory
    mythologist
    an expert on mythology
    nerd
    an intelligent but single-minded expert in a particular technical field or profession
    commentator, observer
    an expert who observes and comments on something
    out-and-outer
    someone who is excellent at something
    parliamentarian
    an expert in parliamentary rules and procedures
    past master
    someone who has long and thorough experience in a given activity
    prosthetist
    an expert in prosthetics
    pteridologist
    an expert in the study of ferns
    guide, pathfinder, scout
    someone who can find paths through unexplored territory
    shark
    a person who is unusually skilled in certain ways
    shooter, shot
    a person who shoots (usually with respect to their ability to shoot)
    specialiser, specialist, specializer
    an expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning
    talent
    a person who possesses unusual innate ability in some field or activity
    technician
    someone known for high skill in some intellectual or artistic technique
    technocrat
    an expert who is a member of a highly skilled elite group
    healer, therapist
    a person skilled in a particular type of therapy
    old hand, old stager, old-timer, oldtimer, stager, veteran, warhorse
    an experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service