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

Otherwise, Titley proves adept at finding the right balance between Japanese and British commentary (from Nasubi’s own family, and from a BBC correspondent in Japan) in order to illuminate the story’s hidden contours, and its decision-making behind the scenes. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 2 May 2024

Even with six hours of runtime to play with, the limited series fails to corral Wolfe’s far-reaching tale of money, class, and racial justice into anything coherent, instead ping-ponging between over-the-top soap opera and somber social commentary. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 2 May 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