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

Following a heated presidential contest, political coverage and commentary can feel unavoidable. —Vox Staff, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024

Throughout Election Day and well into the night, New Yorker reporters and columnists will provide news coverage and commentary on our live blog. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

His political commentary online often can feel the same way. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

Conditioned by partisan commentary to anticipate such corruption, many voters may come to distrust the official vote count, suspecting fraud in the voting rolls, including voting by noncitizens or even by the deceased. —Jenna Bednar, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2024

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