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

State media has since published a barrage of scathing commentaries and editorials, while rampant social media discussion has disparaged Takaichi, Japan’s first woman prime minister. —Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025

That’s not to say there aren’t great comedians who talk about social commentary — the spirit of George Carlin is very important. —Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 14 Nov. 2025

The Running Man Like the 1982 Stephen King novel upon which it's based, Edgar Wright's latest is a high-octane dystopian thriller that manages to pack in laughs and timely commentary in equal measure. —Ew Staff November 14, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) warned that anti‑terror and immigration tools appear to be used to suppress legitimate commentary. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

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