commentary

American  

[kom-uhn-ter-ee] / ˈkɒm ənˌtɛr i /

noun

• commentaries
  plural

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.

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commentary British  

/ ˈkɒməntərɪ, -trɪ /

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supercommentary
  noun
• commentarial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• commentaries
  plural

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

Explanation

When the language in a work of literature such as "Beowulf" is difficult to understand, it is helpful to read from an edition that includes a commentary — an explanation or expansion or criticism added to the original material. Editorials go hand-in-hand with commentaries, since both express a writer's opinions. Commentary can be oral as well as written. Each year, following the President's State of the Union address, you can tune into the networks for commentary from respected news anchors. In fact, political commentary has become so pervasive in our media that some feel it has replaced reporting.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commentary commentaries

We get both a tantalizing armchair mystery steeped in occult-ish authenticity, but also a sly commentary on our own relationship to the pursuit of curiosity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

"I do not provide political commentary or analysis of past elections," it said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

But in commentary shared with MarketWatch, Slok said out that the gap between tech analysts’ rosy cash-flow forecasts and the more modest numbers being penciled in for other sectors was looking suspiciously wide.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

This email was written by David Wainer, a writer for Heard on the Street, The Wall Street Journal’s home for financial analysis and commentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

And he had to be studied with a commentary.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Some commentaries noted it was less about substance than ceremony and symbolism, but what did it commemorate or symbolize?

From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026

I’ll let you in on another bit of digital journalism that always holds true: Questions explored in commentaries are either unanswerable or the answer is “no.”

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

On the BBC website, all 104 games will have live text commentaries - even those at 03:00 BST for all the night owls.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

From reading the most recent market commentaries, one might conclude that investors are unnerved by the potential of AI to upend industries across the spectrum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026

For years, he’s been the subject of a patchwork of commentaries, numerous judgments, and endless character assessments from a spectrum of self-appointed experts.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• comment
• criticism
• critique
• description
• explanation
• narration
• observation
• remark
• review
• treatise