theatrical
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the theater or dramatic presentations.
theatrical performances.
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suggestive of the theater or of acting; artificial, pompous, spectacular, or extravagantly histrionic.
a theatrical display of grief.
- Synonyms:
- extravagant, stagy, melodramatic, exaggerated
noun
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theatricals,
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dramatic performances, now especially as given by amateurs.
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artificial or histrionic actions.
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a professional actor.
a family of renowned theatricals.
adjective
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of or relating to the theatre or dramatic performances
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exaggerated and affected in manner or behaviour; histrionic
Other Word Forms
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half-theatricaladjective
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nontheatricadjective
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nontheatricaladjective
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nontheatricallyadverb
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overtheatricaladjective
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overtheatricallyadverb
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overtheatricalnessnoun
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quasi-theatricaladjective
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quasi-theatricallyadverb
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semitheatricadjective
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semitheatricaladjective
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semitheatricallyadverb
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theatricalitynoun
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theatricallyadverb
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theatricalnessnoun
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untheatricadjective
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untheatricaladjective
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untheatricallyadverb
Etymology
Origin of theatrical
1550–60; < Late Latin theātric ( us ) < Greek theātrikós, equivalent to theā́tr ( on ) theater + -ikos -ic + -al 1
Explanation
If something happens on a stage, you can describe it as theatrical. Even reading a grocery list out loud can be theatrical, if you do it in dramatic voice with an audience watching. An actor who works on Broadway rather than in Hollywood is theatrical, and a play can be described as a theatrical production. If it happens in a theater, or is related to theater, it's theatrical. You can also use the adjective theatrical to talk about behavior that seems like it belongs on a stage, like a little boy's melodramatic weeping when he discovers a cheese sandwich in his lunch instead of peanut butter and jelly.
Vocabulary lists containing theatrical
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.
Theatrical business did pick up shortly after last year’s CinemaCon with a monster showing for Warner Bros.’
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Last year, they worked 36% fewer hours than in 2022, according to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union that represents most of them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Theatrical attendance is running below last year’s levels, with an estimated 760 million tickets sold as of Dec. 25, according to media and entertainment data firm EntTelligence.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2025
Theatrical attendance was already in decline before the pandemic accelerated that nosedive.
From Salon • Dec. 10, 2025
Great Theatrical Effect.—During a performance of Macbeth at the Haymarket, the thunder was so natural that it turned sour a pint of beer in the prompter's-box.
From Mr. Punch at the Play Humours of Music and the Drama by Various
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.
