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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.

Lastly, there will be a huge focus on how Powell portrays Fed independence and succession during his commentary.

From Barron's

There are concerns over the U.S. military presence near Iran, NAB’s Taylor Nugent says in commentary.

From The Wall Street Journal

“That is why the Haggadah will be printed in two languages—Hebrew and Spanish—with commentaries by the rabbis. Even though the king and queen expelled us, they cannot take our language from us.”

From Literature

Still, they have been helped here and there by some positive commentary on Wall Street and developments such as Berkshire Hathaway’s disclosure of a stake in the company.

From Barron's

Shocking as this news was, the commentary was even more ominous.

From The Wall Street Journal