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Synonyms

commentary

American  
[kom-uhn-ter-ee] / ˈkɒm ənˌtɛr i /

noun

plural

commentaries

  1. a series of comments, explanations, or annotations.

    a commentary on the Bible; news followed by a commentary.

  2. an explanatory essay or treatise.

    a commentary on a play; Blackstone's commentaries on law.

  3. anything serving to illustrate a point, prompt a realization, or exemplify, especially in the case of something unfortunate.

    The dropout rate is a sad commentary on our school system.

  4. Usually commentaries. records of facts or events.

    Commentaries written by Roman lawyers give us information on how their courts functioned.
commentary British  
/ ˌkɒmənˈtɛərɪəl, -trɪ, ˈkɒməntərɪ /

noun

  1. an explanatory series of notes or comments

  2. a spoken accompaniment to a broadcast, film, etc, esp of a sporting event

  3. an explanatory essay or treatise on a text

  4. (usually plural) a personal record of events or facts

    the commentaries of Caesar
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • commentarial adjective
  • supercommentary noun

Etymology

Origin of commentary

1375–1425; late Middle English commentaries (plural) < Latin commentārium notebook, noun use of neuter of commentārius, equivalent to comment ( um ) comment + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Wells Fargo expects the company to maintain its capital expenditure forecast of $175 billion to $185 billion, with limited forward commentary on 2027.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

But the smallness and lockstep defeatism of so much commentary on the war also stems from the normal human tendency to interpret today’s big thing as another version of yesterday’s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Live text commentary begins at 20:00 on BBC Sport website and app.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Outsider art in every sense of the word, and laden with scathing political and social commentary, Purifoy’s installations morph and change in the elements.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Is it just doodling, or is it political commentary, an act of aggression?

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.