dramatize

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

/ ˈdræm əˌtaɪz, ˈdrɑ mə- /

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.

Nearby words

dramatic unities, dramatics, dramatis personae, dramatist, dramatization, dramatize, dramaturge, dramaturgy, drambuie, dramedy, drammen

Also especially British, dram·a·tise.

Origin of dramatize

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

Related forms

dram·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, adjective

un·dram·a·tized, adjectivewell-dram·a·tized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dramatise

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
To rouse Burke's genius to its noblest utterance, there must needs be a suffering which he could personify and dramatise.
Shelley, Godwin and Their Circle|H. N. Brailsford
You are resolved that your course should dramatise the whole play and interplay of force and matter.
The Kempton-Wace Letters|Jack London
These bombs did but accentuate and dramatise an already developing problem.
The World Set Free|Herbert George Wells

It is a curious piece of work, showing the tendency of the Greek church to dramatise the sacred history of the Gospel.
The Influence of the Bible on Civilisation|Ernst Von Dobschutz

British Dictionary definitions for dramatise

dramatize

dramatise

/ (ˈdræməˌtaɪz) /

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.