commentary

noun

com·​men·​tary ˈkä-mən-ˌter-ē 

-ˌte-rē

plural commentaries

1

a

: an explanatory treatise

—usually plural

Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England

b

: a record of events usually written by a participant

—usually 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.

—H. A. Overstreet

b

: an expression of opinion

The magazine article is a commentary on cyberbullying.

Synonyms of commentary

• comment
• analysis
• observation

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

Agents now match reconciliations, draft journal entries, suggest accrual estimates and write the variance commentary that goes to the audit committee. — Jacqueline Destefano-Tangorra, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

All four movies exhibit Mackenzie’s knack for trenchant social and political commentary slightly heightened by his elegance as a dramatist and visceral genre filmmaker, and all are accompanied by illuminating supplements. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026

My irritation was not with the charge itself but with how some of the commentaries about it invoked as evidence Vance’s wish to be buried in the country graveyard where generations of his ancestors already rest. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Quarterly commentary Net-interest income (NII) was also better than expected, increasing 15% versus the year-ago period as investment securities were reinvested at higher yields and the balance sheet grew. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026

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
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

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