melodrama

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

noun

1. a dramatic form that does not observe the laws of cause and effect and that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization.

2. melodramatic behavior or events.

3. (in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries) a romantic dramatic composition with music interspersed.

melodrama

/ ˈmɛləˌdrɑːmə, ˌmɛlədrəˈmætɪk, ˌmɛləˈdræmətɪst /

noun

1. a play, film, etc, characterized by extravagant action and emotion

2. (formerly) a romantic drama characterized by sensational incident, music, and song

3. overdramatic emotion or behaviour

4. a poem or part of a play or opera spoken to a musical accompaniment

melodrama

1. A play or film in which the plot is often sensational and the characters may display exaggerated emotion.

Other Word Forms

• melodramatist noun
• minimelodrama noun
• melodramatics plural noun
• melodramatically adverb
• melodramatic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of melodrama¹

1800–10; < French mélodrame, equivalent to mélo- (< Greek mélos song) + drame drama

Word History and Origins

Origin of melodrama¹

C19: from French mélodrame, from Greek melos song + drame _drama

Example Sentences

It's the kind of plot that was always going to attract melodrama fans.

From BBC

Increasingly dismayed, Dudek hatched a plan that seemed to embody his mix of good intentions, hubris and melodrama.

From Salon

“Butterfly” is a sort of an action soap, an extended family melodrama with guns.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Gilded Age” has always plied high-toned melodrama as its chief asset, but Season 3 ripens the starched formality of previous episodes into succulence.

From Salon

“Part of what makes ‘Sunset Boulevard’ such a pleasure to watch is that it’s always on the verge of tipping one way or another into comedy, mystery, melodrama, social satire, or horror,” Lubin writes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adventure 
• buzz 
• commotion 
• confusion 
• drama 
• elation 
• emotion 
• feeling 
• frenzy 
• furor 
• fuss 
• hysteria 
• motivation 
• passion 
• rage 
• thrill 
• trepidation 
• tumult 
• turmoil 
• warmth