drama queen

American

noun

Informal. a person who often has exaggerated or overly emotional reactions to events or situations.

You're such a drama queen! You always have to have all the attention.

drama queen British

noun

informal a person who tends to react to every situation in an overdramatic or exaggerated manner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

drama queens

plural

Etymology

Origin of drama queen

First recorded in 1920–25

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.

See Examples For:

drama queen

In fairness, Smith has long been a bit of a drama queen.

From Slate ● Nov. 20, 2025

"I felt like I was a drama queen," she said.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2023

Like a drama queen writing her will, New York is perpetually and loudly dying.

From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2022

“She said that I was a drama queen from when I was a child,” Johnson says, then laughing adds: “I don’t agree.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2022

Chestnutt was fanning the little drama queen with her ears.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023