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.
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