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

Outside, in the back garden, is the Museum Shed, with a sign saying "drama queen" over the door.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

She returned in the sequel as a scorned reality-TV drama queen, hellbent on stoking fires.

From New York Times ● Dec. 16, 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

“The least she could do was say ‘this isnt really my thing but thank you so much’ or something but she decided to be a drama queen and throw up and just-please.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2020

“I don’t like it. The worst part was when the birds just stopped coming. I felt dead. I bet you think I’m exaggerating or being a drama queen or something but that’s how I felt.”

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

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