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

April 19 guest commentary The recent commentary on the Colorado Connector rail service was supportive of moving ahead. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026

This commentary was published in the Chicago Tribune. —Jon Duffy, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026

Rampell’s writing and commentary do not reflect the views of actual neoconservatives, who champion shrinking the welfare state as well as a robustly interventionist foreign policy. —Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026

The 49ers on social media were brief in their commentary on Thursday’s trades. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 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
• 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