commissioned

adjective

com·​mis·​sioned kə-ˈmi-shənd 

1

a

of an artistic or literary work : ordered to be made in exchange for payment

a commissioned portrait

The Ohio Ballet's recent … commissioned works by modernists Laura Dean and the frenetic Molissa Fenley …

—David McCracken

… the commissioned piece that highlighted his Lincoln Center concert …

—Larry Blumenfeld

b

: having received a commission (see commission entry 1 sense 2b) to create an artistic or literary work

a commissioned artist

2

: receiving a commission (see commission entry 1 sense 6) as a fee

a commissioned salesperson

3

of a ship : ready for active service : in commission

But few of the Bostonians depicted here on Constitution Wharf at Boston Harbor would have predicted that the old ship would … remain a commissioned Navy ship for so many years to come.

—Tyrone Martin

4

: having or involving a commission (see commission entry 1 sense 1) conferring rank, authority, or power

a commissioned notary public

Of these [Irish] volunteers [in the British armed forces] I estimate that approximately 8,000 served in the commissioned ranks.

—Steven O'Connor

see also commissioned officer

Examples of commissioned in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Black riflemen performed so well, in fact, that almost 90% of white non-commissioned officers thought the experiment should continue. —Time, 5 Nov. 2025

Both Thorn and Najlis are senior non-commissioned officers who balance military leadership with civilian careers in law enforcement and mentor newer soldiers. —Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025

The commissioned centerpiece of the exhibition is personal to Saar as someone who grew up visiting the Huntington with her mother and aunt. —Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing commissioned

• commissioned officer

Rhymes for commissioned

• decommissioned
• noncommissioned
• preconditioned
• reconditioned
• repositioned
• requisitioned
• unconditioned
• auditioned
• conditioned
• partitioned
• petitioned
• positioned