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
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
Harry Allen Overstreet
b
: an expression of opinion
The magazine article is a commentary on cyberbullying.
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
Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Whatever might be inferred from these changes, her findings are now cited in commentary about the Gospel of John and have inspired a lively debate in current scholarship.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
But that commentary, too, manages to be remarkably hollow.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 17 Apr. 2025
Some analysts were pleased with Wolk’s similar commentary to Bloomberg on Tuesday.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot,bertha Coombs, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commentary
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025
Whatever might be inferred from these changes, her findings are now cited in commentary about the Gospel of John and have inspired a lively debate in current scholarship.
—Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2025
But that commentary, too, manages to be remarkably hollow.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 17 Apr. 2025
Some analysts were pleased with Wolk’s similar commentary to Bloomberg on Tuesday.
—Annika Kim Constantino,ashley Capoot,bertha Coombs, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commentary
Cite this Entry
“Commentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commentary. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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