melodramatic

[mel-uh-druh-mat-ik]

adjective

1. of, like, or befitting melodrama.

2. exaggerated and emotional or sentimental; sensational or sensationalized; overdramatic.

noun

1. melodramatics, melodramatic writing or behavior.

Other Word Forms

• melodramatically adverb
• nonmelodramatic adjective
• nonmelodramatically adverb
• unmelodramatic adjective
• unmelodramatically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of melodramatic¹

First recorded in 1810–20; melodrama + (drama)tic

Example Sentences

The material could easily have tilted into melodramatic TV territory, but Redford handled it with a steady, unshowy touch, letting pain seep through pauses, glances and the things left unsaid.

From Los Angeles Times

But in screenwriter Noah Pink’s melodramatic imagining of incidents both well-documented and mysterious, one can see this Hollywood veteran on a mission to loosen the shackles of his reputation and have some nasty, brutish fun.

From Los Angeles Times

Even the sleepiest off-season Sunday can suddenly erupt into the latest melodramatic controversy, with rumours, counter-rumours and abrupt U-turns a matter of course.

From BBC

The cinematography tries too hard to capture melodramatic modern police procedurals with their choking clouds of haze.

From Los Angeles Times

Quigley’s acting is as melodramatic and artificial as Nina’s was said to be before her travails and losses transformed her talent.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• theatrical