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 Tola comes from extreme wealth, and much of the plot is a commentary on the inequity in Lagos. Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 This prompts the trio to reveal what’s in their TikTok algorithms: Giles and Chloe both get animal videos, while Chioma’s For You Page is mainly British TV show commentary from the 2000s. Chelsea Daniel, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024 But the approach is similar, attempting to blend light interpersonal comedy, social commentary, and a potentially much darker mystery. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 In addition to flying the aircraft, JSX said Gregory will provide expert commentary throughout the flight. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024 Through a blend of comedy and melodrama, the series delves into themes of identity and stereotypes, providing a social commentary on machismo and gender norms prevalent in the 1980s. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 By contrast, Marine Le Pen, who offered hardly any public commentary on the pension reforms at all, received a boost in the polls. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 And, amid opening weekend, social media timelines and news feeds were packed with speculation, commentary, memes and theories about the movie. Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 The use of smart technology in sport continues to expand, including AI commentary tools and wearable tech for elite athletes. Jack Bantock, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024

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 19 Mar. 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

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