Definition of commentary
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 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.
