dramatic

[ druh-mat-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the drama.

   Synonyms: theatrical

2. employing the form or manner of the drama.
3. characteristic of or appropriate to the drama, especially in involving conflict or contrast; vivid; moving:

   dramatic colors;

   a dramatic speech.

4. highly effective; striking:

   The silence following his impassioned speech was dramatic.

   Synonyms: sensational, startling

dramatic

/ drəˈmætɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to drama
2. like a drama in suddenness, emotional impact, etc
3. striking; effective
4. acting or performed in a flamboyant way
5. music (of a voice) powerful and marked by histrionic quality

Derived Forms

• draˈmatically, adverb

Other Words From

• dra·mat·i·cal·ly adverb
• non·dra·mat·ic adjective
• o·ver·dra·mat·ic adjective
• pre·dra·mat·ic adjective
• pseu·do·dra·mat·ic adjective
• qua·si-dra·mat·ic adjective
• sem·i·dra·mat·ic adjective
• un·dra·mat·ic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dramatic¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin drāmaticus, from Greek drāmatikós, equivalent to drāmat- (stem of drâma ) drama + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

I’m very dramatic and having him be the voice of reason is very helpful.

From Washington Post

The pathos of casting wood in a forest and of setting up a lens to see what’s already plainly visible took a dramatic turn during the installation when the great ash tree suddenly collapsed.

From Washington Post

The previously unknown site in Anatolia became a popular sensation, helped by dramatic pictures of the “lost city” whose residents were so strange that women had ruled over men!

From Popular-Science

She recounts being struck by lightning in 1991, then spending a couple painful years recovering before traveling around the world, writing about dramatic landscapes and regenerative land practices.

From Outside Online

In the 2018 game’s dramatic final moments, Hulu’s live stream went kerplunk.

From Quartz

In the end, I find it never fails to modernize even the most dramatic things.

From The Daily Beast

It opens with Huckabee's dramatic recollection of going through security at the airport.

From The Daily Beast

It all sounds a bit dramatic, but that cactus feels like something special.

From The Daily Beast

In a dramatic twist on mistletoe reproduction, their seeds explode, literally.

From The Daily Beast

Yet even as the Germans wallowed in bitter self-pity, another defeated superpower underwent a dramatic turnaround.

From The Daily Beast

It is the dramatic impulse of childhood endeavouring to bring life into the dulness of the serious hours.

From Project Gutenberg

When the days were fine, Jean in his basket assisted at the dramatic performance in the market-place.

From Project Gutenberg

Dramatic adaptation in expressing various characters, emotions, and motives is potentially very great.

From Project Gutenberg

We would classify these two departments in this way, though in the highest dramatic work elements of both phases are combined.

From Project Gutenberg

In dramatic interpretation the voice is a much more significant feature relatively than is the detail of gesture in pantomime.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• breathtaking
• climactic
• comic
• emotional
• impressive
• melodramatic
• powerful
• sensational
• startling
• striking
• sudden
• tense
• theatrical
• thrilling
• tragic
• vivid