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

The duo, industry veterans and former colleagues at Variety, will bring their deep knowledge and expertise of all things Hollywood to deliver up-to-the-minute commentary on TV’s biggest party. — Variety Staff, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

The set comes with new liner notes including commentary from producers and friends Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, and previously unseen photos by Mischa Richter and Alex Lake, whose art was featured in the original packaging. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Aug. 2026

Hoult had faced some backlash from fans for his decision to join the show, as has every member of its cast, due to Rowling's history of controversial anti-trans commentary. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026

Hooper's death drew commentary from Australia's top political leaders and even prompted a moment of silence in Parliament. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 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