commentary

noun

com·men·tary | \ ˈkä-mən-ˌter-ē

, -ˌte-rē\

plural commentaries

Definition of commentary

1a : 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

2a : a systematic series of explanations or interpretations (as of a writing) a commentary on Dante's Divine Comedy

b : comment sense 2

3a : 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.

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about commentary

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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

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "The Hidden Sweetness In Ariana Grande's Sexy 'Break Up With Your Girlfriend' Video," 8 Feb. 2019 Faulconer previously said in a commentary published in The San Diego Union-Tribune that city police work to protect everyone regardless of immigration status, an apparent dig at Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement. — Julie Watson, The Seattle Times, "San Diego mayor unveils plan to integrate immigrants," 4 Feb. 2019 Organic outrage or excitement usually inspires a bit more variety in the commentary. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "How a new class of “digital martyrs” are manipulating social networks," 18 Sep. 2018 For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Victoria Beckham Says it's an "Honor" to Have Meghan Markle Wear Her Designs," 29 Jan. 2019 Ranallo’s usual broadcast partners, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson, will be present to provide color commentary. — Dan Gartland, SI.com, "Scheduling Conflict Will Prevent Mauro Ranallo From Calling NXT TakeOver: Chicago," 14 June 2018 The attractions is part of a promotional push for the reboot of the show, which returns to Nickelodeon on June 25, with Summers providing color commentary. — Peter Hartlaub, SFChronicle.com, "Clusterfest ‘Double Dare’ course gets visit from host Marc Summers as game show prepares for its return this month," 2 June 2018 That makes commentary from company officials particularly important to analysts and investors this year. — Akane Otani, WSJ, "Slowing Earnings Growth, Gloomy Forecasts Add to Stock Market’s Woes," 13 Jan. 2019 The show is intended to be a satirical anthology that offers slight (and sly) social commentary in dealing with current issues like social media addiction, online dating, fitness obsession, and even genetic modification. — Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, "Dylan O'Brien and Auli'i Cravalho's New Show "Weird City" Has Its First Trailer," 10 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commentary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.