commentary

[kom-uhn-ter-ee]

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• commentarial adjective
• supercommentary noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of commentary¹

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

The bias isn't shouted; it's whispered through commentary, coded in tone.

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Essentially an album launch event, the screenings included the premiere of her music video for The Fate Of Ophelia, behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the album, and Swift's commentary on the songs.

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The update from law enforcement triggered a fresh wave of social media commentary, ranging from condemnations to calls for patience and unity.

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Former Celtic title-winning goalkeeper Joe Hart - on commentary duties with TNT Sports - was in no doubt the goal would be given at the time of the incident.

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Former British welterweight Hardy, who was on commentary duty for the PFL that night in Dubai, knew that would be key because he'd seen Hughes use it to his advantage before.

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Related Words

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