commentary

noun

com·​men·​tary ˈkä-mən-ˌter-ē How to pronounce commentary (audio)
-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
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.

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 Larger Than Life also includes commentary from AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys, Lance Bass and Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC and Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees, who all reflect on their impact and experience of being in groups. Lexi Carson, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Oct. 2024 The moment plays as commentary, with a healthy dose of satire, on cancel culture, but Cuarón told IndieWire that wasn’t his specific aim. Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2024 The sell call issued by Barclays back in January, for example, was a decent one in hindsight — considering shares continued to decline well into 2024 on a slew of cautious Wall Street commentary . Zev Fima,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024 One of the major perks cardmembers can enjoy at this week’s upcoming Mexico Grand Prix is access to Amex’s race radios, a favorite amongst fans when rolled out in Las Vegas last year and a cult favorite amongst U.S. Open and tennis fans to hear live commentary while watching sports in-person. Kanika Talwar, WWD, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for commentary 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commentary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see comment entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of commentary was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near commentary

Cite this Entry

“Commentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commentary. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

commentary

noun
com·​men·​tary ˈkäm-ən-ˌter-ē How to pronounce commentary (audio)
plural commentaries
: a series of comments or notes
also : a book made up of such material
usually used in plural

More from Merriam-Webster on commentary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!