commencement exercise vs commencement

commencement exercise and commencement both are nouns.

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

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

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

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

commencement exercise (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