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

Below are tasting notes on these rums and insightful commentary from Ian Burrell, an IWSC’s Spirits Judging Committee member and Chair of its Rum Panel on current rum industry trends. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025

And Ichiro’s inclusion requires little commentary: simply one of the best to ever swing a bat. —Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025

Vin Scully called that game with Hall of Fame coach George Allen providing color commentary. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025

The Notebook section features editorial content from Mubi staff and other contributors, including reviews and commentary. —PCMAG, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see comment entry 1

First Known Use

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

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