commentary

noun

com·​men·​tary ˈkä-mən-ˌter-ē 

-ˌte-rē

plural commentaries

1

a

: an explanatory treatise

—usually used in plural

Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England

b

: a record of events usually written by a participant

—usually used in plural

Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War

2

a

: a systematic series of explanations or interpretations (as of a writing)

a commentary on Dante's Divine Comedy

b

: comment sense 2

3

a

: something that serves for illustration or explanation

The dark, airless apartments and sunless factories … are a sad commentary upon our civilization.

—Harry Allen Overstreet

b

: an expression of opinion

The magazine article is a commentary on cyberbullying.

Synonyms

• analysis
• comment
• exposition
• play-by-play

Examples of commentary in a Sentence

The television show features political commentary by well-known journalists.

The magazine includes humor and social commentary.

The book is a commentary on her experiences abroad.

I like listening to his social commentaries.

He provided commentary during the game.

The major television stations provided running commentaries on the election results.

Recent Examples on the Web

This is a sterile, forgettable little movie that has quickly come to function more as a time capsule than a salient bit of commentary, but there’s something valuable about the sobriety of its perspective. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Mar. 2025

Indeed, the annals of stock market commentaries are replete with prognostications that, in retrospect, were almost comically wrong. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2025

In recreating a public bathroom, the brand presented a commentary on intimacy and identity with an accompanying soundtrack that created a fantastic, unsettling energy. —Rhonda Richford, WWD, 12 Mar. 2025

Khloé Kardashian will not tolerate any commentary on her sisters. —Julia Moore, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see comment entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for commentary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

commentary

noun

com·​men·​tary ˈkäm-ən-ˌter-ē 

plural commentaries

: a series of comments or notes

also : a book made up of such material

—usually used in plural