drama

American  

[drah-muh, dram-uh] / ˈdrɑ mə, ˈdræm ə /

noun

• dramas
  plural

1. 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.

2. the branch of literature having such compositions as its subject; dramatic art or representation.

3. the art dealing with the writing and production of plays.

4. any situation or series of events having vivid, emotional, conflicting, or striking interest or results.

   the drama of a murder trial.

5. the quality of being dramatic.

---

drama British  

/ ˈdrɑːmə /

noun

1. a work to be performed by actors on stage, radio, or television; play

2. the genre of literature represented by works intended for the stage

3. the art of the writing and production of plays

4. a situation or sequence of events that is highly emotional, tragic, or turbulent

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minidrama
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dramas
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drama dramas

On Sunday morning, the world was watching as drama unfolded in the village of Whelford.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Solomon’s hobby of DJing had drawn criticism and negative headlines, personalizing the drama at the bank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

After the women came forward, the actor was dropped from the finale of “And Just Like That” and was fired from CBS drama “The Equalizer.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

The writer of acclaimed 1990s BBC TV drama Our Friends in the North has said a new stage version will resonate with modern audiences, even if he had once thought its themes would become irrelevant.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Lombardy, the large, pale, and intense Roman Catholic priest, was perhaps the chief supporting actor in the drama at Reykjavik.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

A buffet of bite-size videos: TikTok is awash in vertical dramas, a new form of entertainment intended to be watched exclusively on your phone.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

Viewers of Tudor period dramas will know Elizabeth I as history’s dressiest queen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

It is the third fire this year at the Grade II-listed Victorian building, which was used as a filming location for period dramas Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

To be sure, there are no backstage comedies — or dramas, or dramedies — in which nothing goes wrong, or things even go mostly right.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Without the discovery of as yet unavailable research tools, we will probably never know what the ancient foragers believed or what political dramas they experienced.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• comedy
• farce
• melodrama
• play
• production
• scene
• show
• theater
• tragedy