dramatize

especially British, dram·a·tise

[dram-uh-tahyz, drah-muh-]

verb (used with object)

dramatized, dramatizing 

1. to put into a form suitable for acting on a stage.

2. to express or represent vividly, emotionally, or strikingly.

   He dramatizes his woes with sobs and sighs.

verb (used without object)

dramatized, dramatizing 

1. to express oneself in a dramatic or exaggerated way.

dramatize

/ ˈdræməˌtaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to put into dramatic form

2. to express or represent (something) in a dramatic or exaggerated way

   he dramatizes his illness

Other Word Forms

• dramatizable adjective
• dramatizer noun
• overdramatize verb
• undramatizable adjective
• undramatized adjective
• well-dramatized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dramatize¹

1770–80; < Greek drāmat- ( dramatic ) + -ize

Example Sentences

Scenes like this are tricky enough to pull off tastefully in dramatized films, but here, the sequence feels impossibly grievous.

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While that was happening, according to the series dramatized version of events, Maggie finds out that Alex has been lying to her about his ongoing prescription drug habit.

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By the time Erin Lee Carr and Michael D. Fuller met in October 2021 to discuss dramatizing the Murdaugh family’s story, that teen who crashed the boat years earlier had been brutally murdered.

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That shaving scene referenced earlier dramatizes why this and other supposedly neutral policies painfully disfavor some people without diving into a medical manual.

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It is a fine line since law ads can dramatize, but they are not allowed to promise results or payouts.

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Related Words

• amplify 
• exaggerate 
• overstate