commendation vs accolade

commendation and accolade both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
commendation	Yes	No	No	No
accolade	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, accolade is a hypernym of commendation; that is, accolade is a word with a broader meaning than commendation:

commendation: an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement
accolade: a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

Other hypernyms of commendation include award, honor, honour, laurels.

commendation (noun)	accolade (noun)
an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement	a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
a message expressing a favorable opinion