dramatize

[dram-uh-tahyz, drah-muh-]

verb (used with object), dram·a·tized, dram·a·tiz·ing.

to put into a form suitable for acting on a stage.
to express or represent vividly, emotionally, or strikingly: He dramatizes his woes with sobs and sighs.

verb (used without object), dram·a·tized, dram·a·tiz·ing.

to express oneself in a dramatic or exaggerated way.

Also especially British, dram·a·tise.

Origin of dramatize

1770–80; < Greek drāmat- (see dramatic) + -ize

Related formsdram·a·tiz·a·ble, adjectivedram·a·tiz·er, nouno·ver·dram·a·tize, verb, o·ver·dram·a·tized, o·ver·dram·a·tiz·ing.un·dram·a·tiz·a·ble, adjectiveun·dram·a·tized, adjectivewell-dram·a·tized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for dramatise

Historical Examples of dramatise

He offered to dramatise a burst of tears on Lemuel's shoulder; but Lemuel escaped from him.
The Minister's Charge
William Dean Howells
Mr. Harris endeavours as much as possible to dramatise his sermon.
About London
J. Ewing Ritchie
These bombs did but accentuate and dramatise an already developing problem.
The World Set Free
Herbert George Wells
Mr. Savile Clarke wrote on August 28th to ask his leave to dramatise the two books, and he gladly assented.
The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll
Stuart Dodgson Collingwood
You are resolved that your course should dramatise the whole play and interplay of force and matter.
The Kempton-Wace Letters
Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for dramatise

dramatize

dramatise

verb

(tr) to put into dramatic form
to express or represent (something) in a dramatic or exaggerated wayhe dramatizes his illness

Derived Formsdramatizable or dramatisable, adjectivedramatizer or dramatiser, noun

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

Word Origin and History for dramatise

dramatize

1780s, "to adopt for the stage," see drama (Greek stem dramat-) + -ize. Meaning "to act out" is from 1823. Related: Dramatized; dramatizing.