commentary

[ kom-uhn-ter-ee ]

noun

, plural com·men·tar·ies.

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

Derived Forms

• commentarial, adjective

Other Words From

• com·men·tar·i·al [kom-, uh, n-, tair, -ee-, uh, l], adjective
• super·commen·tary noun plural supercommentaries

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

One could read into this a subtextual commentary on the subjugation of women found in conservative strains of what Reed refers to as “the big three” — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — or even society in general.

From Los Angeles Times

"The show continually evolves for changing viewing habits bringing its unique and unmatched analysis and commentary across all platforms. Future plans for Match of the Day will be announced in due course."

From BBC

Its dark commentary on wealth inequality touched a nerve with audiences around the globe.

From BBC

But if you want to watch the other games taking place this autumn, or have English language commentary, you have to pay via a subscription, which is not a new thing for rugby fans.

From BBC

And though she has since deleted this comment, she didn't delete it fast enough, and feeds soon flooded with commentary from an expanse of people calling for her head.

From Salon

Related Words

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