melodramatic

American

[mel-uh-druh-mat-ik] / ˌmɛl ə drəˈmæt ɪk /

adjective

of, like, or befitting melodrama.
exaggerated and emotional or sentimental; sensational or sensationalized; overdramatic.

noun

melodramatics, melodramatic writing or behavior.

Other Word Forms

melodramatically adverb
nonmelodramatic adjective
nonmelodramatically adverb
unmelodramatic adjective
unmelodramatically adverb

Etymology

Origin of melodramatic

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There’s nothing sort of overly melodramatic or cathartic about it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Mr. Desplechin takes a quick-cutting, kaleidoscopic approach to this domestic epic, and evokes in richly melodramatic style the feeling of passing the holidays with extended family.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Visually, it is melodramatic, almost campy, resembling a TV promotion.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2025

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 • Aug. 23, 2025

“I want to sleep,” he said, with a melodramatic roll of his eye, “‘dormir plutôt que vivre’!”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023