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.

—Harry Allen Overstreet

b

: an expression of opinion

The magazine article is a commentary on cyberbullying.

Synonyms

• analysis
• comment
• exposition
• play-by-play

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

But the commentary on Wednesday’s earnings call suggests the company is standing relatively firm. —Jordan Novet, CNBC, 1 May 2025

Hannah Montana alum Jason Earles kicked off the commentary by setting the record straight during his Wednesday visit to the Night School podcast. —EW.com, 1 May 2025

Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

On Tuesday, Rutherford provided some additional commentary on why the club is digging its heels in on these bonuses. —Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 Apr. 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