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.

—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

Their protagonists may be intelligent and quietly manipulative, their aims rife with social or cultural commentary. —Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026

Additionally, Tom Rinaldi and Erin Andrews will be the sideline reporters providing commentary and in-game analysis. —Mark J. Burns, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

The commentaries between the president and the governor, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, also came on the same day Newsom was denied entry to the USA House, despite being scheduled to speak at a fireside chat with Fortune Media. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026

There’s been a lot of public commentary in reaction to Beckham’s posts, with people choosing sides. —Korin Miller, SELF, 22 Jan. 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
• 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