commentary
Americannoun
plural
commentaries-
a series of comments, explanations, or annotations.
a commentary on the Bible; news followed by a commentary.
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an explanatory essay or treatise.
a commentary on a play; Blackstone's commentaries on law.
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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.
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Usually commentaries. records of facts or events.
Commentaries written by Roman lawyers give us information on how their courts functioned.
noun
-
an explanatory series of notes or comments
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a spoken accompaniment to a broadcast, film, etc, esp of a sporting event
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an explanatory essay or treatise on a text
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(usually plural) a personal record of events or facts
the commentaries of Caesar
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
“Moving from commentary to real impact in how this technology is distributed and understood globally is incredibly important to us,” Hays said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 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
In 2025 he provided TV commentary on BBC One for the semi-finals of Eurovision with Rylan.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Today you are more likely to find commentary on their “disappearance,” either as a supposed demographic reality or as a shortcoming of the middle-class imagination.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
