drama
Americannoun
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a composition in prose or verse presenting in dialogue or pantomime a story involving conflict or contrast of character, especially one intended to be acted on the stage; a play.
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the branch of literature having such compositions as its subject; dramatic art or representation.
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the art dealing with the writing and production of plays.
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any situation or series of events having vivid, emotional, conflicting, or striking interest or results.
the drama of a murder trial.
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the quality of being dramatic.
noun
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a work to be performed by actors on stage, radio, or television; play
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the genre of literature represented by works intended for the stage
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the art of the writing and production of plays
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a situation or sequence of events that is highly emotional, tragic, or turbulent
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of drama
First recorded in 1505–15; from Late Latin, from Greek drâma “action (of a play),” from drá(ein), drâ(n) “to act, do” + -ma, noun suffix
Explanation
Drama is highly emotional. It can happen on stage, like a performance of "Hamlet," or in a gaggle of 7th grade girls, breathlessly dissecting why so-and-so broke up with what's-her-name. The word drama comes directly from Greek, meaning "action" or "a play." Which is no surprise, since ancient Athens was a hotbed of dramatic theater. The earliest recorded actor was a Greek named Thespis, and actors today are still called "thespians" in his honor. Drama doesn't always take place on the stage, though. You can use the word, sometimes with a roll of the eyes, to describe behavior or a reaction to a situation that appears a little overly emotional.
Vocabulary lists containing drama
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Ancient Greece - Introductory
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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.
Through the walls of the port-a-potty, I heard a woman say she rescheduled a family trip to Orcas Island for DRAMA, who took the main stage as afternoon baked into evening.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 24, 2023
DRAMA: "Clybourne Park" by Bruce Norris “Clybourne Park,” a comedy about race relations inspired by Lorraine Hansberry’s “Raisin in the Sun,” is set in the same house in Chicago in 1959 and 2009.
From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2011
The Peabody picks: DRAMA: Mutual's Arch Oboler, for "pioneer . . . efforts ... to create a dramatic form especially for broadcasting"; NBC's Edgar Bergen, for his "original wit."
From Time Magazine Archive
DRAMA: This is not a time of powerful playwrights with bold convictions.
From Time Magazine Archive
DRAMA, the English, characteristics of its dialogue, iv.
From Life of Johnson, Volume 6 Addenda, index, dicta philosophi, etc. by Boswell, James
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.
