Meaning & use
pundit
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person who is often asked by the media to give opinions on a subject.
Grammar: Often has a field before it: a sports pundit.
Patterns
- a political pundit
- a pundit on something
A well-known pundit predicted the outcome of the election.
The football pundits argued about the referee's decision.
She works as a pundit on a morning news show.
nouncountabledisapproving
A person who claims to be an expert and speaks with too much confidence.
Grammar: This use can sound mocking: armchair pundit.
Patterns
- an armchair pundit
Every armchair pundit had a theory about the crash.
The pundits were wrong again about the outcome.
He is a self-appointed pundit who rarely checks facts.
Word forms
| plural | pundits |
|---|
Common combinations
- political pundit
- The political pundit appeared on three shows.
- sports pundit
- The sports pundit praised the young goalkeeper.
- TV pundit
- A TV pundit questioned the coach's tactics.
- armchair pundit
- I'm no armchair pundit, but I think they'll win.
- leading pundits
- Leading pundits disagreed about the economy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- commentator
- A commentator describes or reports events, while a pundit gives opinions and predictions.
- expert
- An expert has deep knowledge, whereas a pundit is known for sharing opinions in the media.
- analyst
- An analyst studies data carefully, while a pundit often speaks more loosely.
- critic
- A critic judges quality, often of art, while a pundit comments on current affairs.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pundit or pandit?
pundit vs pandit
A pandit is a learned scholar in Hindu tradition, while pundit is the English word for a media commentator.
Practice
The TV ___ predicted the team would win, but he was wrong.
Choose one answer.
A pundit gives opinions in the media. A pedant fusses over small details, and pupil and patron have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pundit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.