theatricalize

American  

[thee-a-tri-kuh-lahyz] / θiˈæ trɪ kəˌlaɪz /

verb (used with object)

theatricalized, theatricalizing

1. to put into dramatic or theatrical form; dramatize.

2. to express or represent in a spectacular or extravagantly histrionic manner.

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Other Word Forms

• theatricalization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of theatricalize

First recorded in 1770–80; theatrical + -ize

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

theatricalize theatricalized theatricalizing

Instead of trying to theatricalize its story through finding playable action, The Inheritance tries to solve the problem of adapting a literary work through emphasizing its literariness.

From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2019

Though all were powerful, they faced a common difficulty: How to theatricalize in one gesture both individual devastation and collective disaster.

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2018

Preserving the integrity of the drama, the way it attempts to theatricalize the autistic way of processing the world, was the priority, and Elliott and her team were richly rewarded for not compromising their plan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2015

And he was so funny that I did not have to theatricalize my laughter.

From The New Yorker ● Jun. 1, 2015

“It presents itself as almost the impossible task: to theatricalize a sprawling and unruly wilderness,” said Joe Tantalo, who is directing.

From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2014

Even though Gardiner has theatricalized the typically sparse musical with more ambitious design elements and stagecraft, Smith’s storytelling and vocals still carry the show.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2022

“The Mahabharata,’' Brook’s epic production created with co-director Marie-Hélène Estienne and dramatist Jean-Claude Carrière, theatricalized for Western audiences the vast Hindu epic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2022

The simplicity, physicality and direct attack of “À Bras le Corps,” performed in a boxing ring with spectators seated on all sides, was a salutary shock in the highly theatricalized world of 1990s French dance.

From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2017

The proceedings can seem less like a fresh retelling of a seminal story and more like, despite stabs at grit and terror, a theatricalized, dewy-eyed version of days past.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2015

“Literature that is lifelike in essence, moral without being hypocritical, dramatic without being theatricalized, inspiring without being preachy.”

From In the Heart of a Fool by William Allen White

That sentence was so clear and so moving, and I started thinking about theatricalizing the idea that one person can literally be your whole world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2025