commendation vs message

commendation and message both are nouns.

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

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

Other hypernyms of commendation include content, subject matter, substance.

commendation (noun)	message (noun)
an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement	content communicating a message; what something is about
a message expressing a favorable opinion	a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled