histrionic
[ his-tree-on-ik ]
/ ˌhɪs triˈɒn ɪk /
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adjective Also his·tri·on·i·cal.
of or relating to actors or acting.
deliberately affected or self-consciously emotional; overly dramatic, in behavior or speech.
noun
an actor.
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Origin of histrionic
1640–50; <Late Latin histrōnicus of actors, equivalent to histriōn- (stem of histriō) actor (said to be <Etruscan ) + -icus-ic
OTHER WORDS FROM histrionic
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use histrionic in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for histrionic
histrionic
histrionical
/ (ˌhɪstrɪˈɒnɪk) /
adjective
excessively dramatic, insincere, or artificialhistrionic gestures
rare dramatic
noun
(plural) melodramatic displays of temperament
rare (plural, functioning as singular) dramatics
Derived forms of histrionic
histrionically, adverbWord Origin for histrionic
C17: from Late Latin histriōnicus of a player, from histriō actor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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