commentator
noun
Simple meaning
Someone who provides an instantaneous description of a public event, particularly a sporting event.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahmuhntayterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑmənteɪtɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
mediasports
A person who provides an instantaneous description of a public event, particularly a sporting event, for a mass media audience.
media
A person who provides analysis or opinion on current events, especially for a mass media audience.
A person who makes a commentary, particularly
A person who compiles explanations and critical notes on a text.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (media, sports) A person who provides an instantaneous description of a public event, particularly a sporting event, for a mass media audience.
Used this way, commentator is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a sporting use: familiar to anyone who follows the game, and puzzling to anyone who does not.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Sudden and forceful
- Usage feel
- Blunt and forceful
Where it naturally appears
- Sports
- News/reporting
- Everyday conversation
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An announcer who reads sports news or describes sporting events.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “commentator” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.