Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Serving to commend.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Serving to commend; presenting to favorable notice or reception; containing approval, praise, or recommendation: as, a commendatory letter.
  • Holding a benefice in commendam: as, a commendatory bishop.
  • Held in commendam. See commendam.
  • noun A commendation; a eulogy.
  • noun One who holds a benefice in commendam.
  • noun See commendam.
  • noun Also commendatary.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Serving to commend; containing praise or commendation; commending; praising.
  • adjective Holding a benefice in commendam.
  • adjective (Book of Common Prayer) a prayer read over the dying.
  • noun rare A commendation; eulogy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Serving to commend or compliment; complimentary
  • noun A commendation; eulogy.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

commend +‎ -atory

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Examples

  • St. Andrews); he was also "commendatory" abbot of important monasteries both in Scotland and England.

    The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI 1840-1916 1913

  • It is not in my power, and I hope it is not in my nature to dictate, but I do certainly know Sir that the entire omission of every thing of that tendency would give the majority, if not every reader a fresh interest in the history of the poem, and the commendatory notes from

    Letter 63 2009

  • One and all, the professors, the preachers, and the editors, hold their jobs by serving the Plutocracy, and their service consists of propagating only such ideas as are either harmless to or commendatory of the Plutocracy.

    Chapter 9: The Mathematics of a Dream 2010

  • The LDS situation seems pretty weak, too – the references to social justice are pretty rare, and not all that commendatory.

    Matthew Yglesias » Beck vs Social Justice 2010

  • Though each had written to me commendatory letters and telegrams that were far more generous than I could possibly deserve, yet neither ever expressed to me, verbally, any compliment beyond, “Well, so far, you seem to be doing alright.”

    Going Home to Glory David Eisenhower 2010

  • The good-ought tie-up rests on an ambiguity in the concept of ought, which may be interpreted either in a commendatory sense or in a prescriptive sense.

    How to Kill a Missionary 2009

  • The good-ought tie-up works for the commendatory use of

    How to Kill a Missionary 2009

  • As with his earlier review of MARIO BAVA ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, Steve is wonderfully enthusiastic and commendatory about the book itself "a brilliant dissection of the collaborative creative process at work, hence of interest to anyone who is either a creator themselves or eager to understand the creative process" and his review is one that any writer would be pleased to receive.

    Archive 2008-10-19 2008

  • As with his earlier review of MARIO BAVA ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, Steve is wonderfully enthusiastic and commendatory about the book itself "a brilliant dissection of the collaborative creative process at work, hence of interest to anyone who is either a creator themselves or eager to understand the creative process" and his review is one that any writer would be pleased to receive.

    First VIDEODROME Review 2008

  • For as Plutarch saith, [5529] They will be witnesses and trumpeters of their paramours 'good parts, bedecking them with verses and commendatory songs, as we do statues with gold, that they may be remembered and admired of all.

    Anatomy of Melancholy 2007

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