melodrama
Americannoun
-
a dramatic form that does not observe the laws of cause and effect and that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization.
-
melodramatic behavior or events.
-
(in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries) a romantic dramatic composition with music interspersed.
noun
-
a play, film, etc, characterized by extravagant action and emotion
-
(formerly) a romantic drama characterized by sensational incident, music, and song
-
overdramatic emotion or behaviour
-
a poem or part of a play or opera spoken to a musical accompaniment
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of melodrama
1800–10; < French mélodrame, equivalent to mélo- (< Greek mélos song) + drame drama
Explanation
A melodrama is a show or story with overly dramatic characters and plot lines. Many people like to escape their own troubles by watching what the characters go through on a weekly television melodrama. A melodrama has a thrilling plot, with many extreme twists, suspense, and plenty of romance. Soap operas and popular films can often be described as melodramas, full of the tension and excitement that draws a viewer in. Anything but mellow, melodrama comes from the Greek word melos, song, and the French drame, drama — because the original melodramas of the early 1800s were dramatic plays that included songs and music.
Vocabulary lists containing melodrama
Drama Terminology
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Literary Genres - Advanced
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Reading: Literature - Drama - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Melodrama doesn’t exactly have the most sterling reputation for discerning cinema viewers.
From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026
Or as Sarah Arnold, the author of “Maternal Horror Film: Melodrama and Motherhood,” put it, “The ‘leaking’ body lacks boundaries, it is literally fluid and in flux.”
From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2023
Melodrama, a form that Bergman transfigured so brilliantly, feels alien to her temperament.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2021
The record’s reflective mode calls for a kind of an intimate mid-tempo ease free of the stark confrontations of her “Royals” era and the dynamic, well, drama of Melodrama.
From Slate • Aug. 20, 2021
Irving I never could believe in as Hamlet, after seeing part of his famous Performance of a Melodrama called ‘The Bells’ three or four years ago.
From Letters of Edward FitzGerald to Fanny Kemble (1871-1883) by Wright, William Aldis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
