commencement ceremony vs commencement

commencement ceremony and commencement both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
commencement ceremony	Yes	No	No	No
commencement	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, commencement ceremony and commencement are synonyms defined as:

commencement ceremony and commencement: an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred

Other synonyms of commencement ceremony include commencement exercise, graduation, graduation exercise.

commencement ceremony (noun)	commencement (noun)
an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred	the act of starting something
	an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred
	the time at which something is supposed to begin