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commentary

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The definition of commentary is discussion of opinion about something that is going on, or a spoken account of some event as it is happening, or a set of notes or explanations about something.

(noun)

When a political pundit is discussing the president's vote on a new bill, this is an example of political commentary.
When a golf announcer narrates a major golf tournament, describing each player's shots and talking about his score, this is an example of commentary.
When there is a DVD-director's cut of a movie that is accompanied by the director explaining his choices, this explanation is an example of commentary.

See commentary in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. commentaries

a series of explanatory notes or annotations, often forming a treatise on a text
a series of remarks or observations, usually connected in a loose narrative
something having the force of a comment, remark, or illustration
a historical narrative based on personal experience: Caesar's Commentaries

Origin: L commentarius, notebook, annotation < commentari: see comment

Related Forms:

commentarial adjective

See commentary in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. com·men·tar·ies

A series of explanations or interpretations.
An expository treatise or series of annotations; an exegesis. Often used in the plural.
An apt explanation or illustration: a scandal that is a sad commentary on national politics.
A personal narrative; a memoir. Often used in the plural.

Related Forms: