commentary
noun
com·men·tary
ˈkä-mən-ˌter-ē 
-ˌte-rē
plural commentaries
1
a
: an explanatory treatise
—usually used in plural
Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England
b
: a record of events usually written by a participant
—usually used in plural
Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War
2
a
: a systematic series of explanations or interpretations (as of a writing)
a commentary on Dante's Divine Comedy
b
3
a
: something that serves for illustration or explanation
The dark, airless apartments and sunless factories … are a sad commentary upon our civilization.—
Harry Allen Overstreet
Harry Allen Overstreet
b
: an expression of opinion
The magazine article is a commentary on cyberbullying.
Examples of commentary in a Sentence
The television show features political commentary by well-known journalists.
The magazine includes humor and social commentary.
The book is a commentary on her experiences abroad.
I like listening to his social commentaries.
He provided commentary during the game.
The major television stations provided running commentaries on the election results.
Recent Examples on the Web
The site posts news and commentary on climate change and other environmental issues affecting Florida.
—William McQuilkin, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Sign up for the Opinion newsletter: Get the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Chicago Tribune’s opinion team sent to your inbox each weekday.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Beijing’s official commentary previously emphasized the willingness to negotiate.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025
The robot questions its meaning and purpose and tries to combine dark humor and social commentary about the monotony of work and the inevitability of technological progress.
—Matthew Pittman, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for commentary 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
William McQuilkin, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2025
Sign up for the Opinion newsletter: Get the latest editorials and commentary curated by the Chicago Tribune’s opinion team sent to your inbox each weekday.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Beijing’s official commentary previously emphasized the willingness to negotiate.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2025
The robot questions its meaning and purpose and tries to combine dark humor and social commentary about the monotony of work and the inevitability of technological progress.
—Matthew Pittman, The Conversation, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for commentary
Dictionary Entries Near commentary
Cite this Entry
“Commentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commentary. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commentary
noun
com·men·tary
ˈkäm-ən-ˌter-ē
plural commentaries
: a series of comments or notes
also
: a book made up of such material
—usually used in plural
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