melodramatic
Americanadjective
-
of, like, or befitting melodrama.
-
exaggerated and emotional or sentimental; sensational or sensationalized; overdramatic.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of melodramatic
First recorded in 1810–20; melodrama + (drama)tic
Explanation
If you're writhing on the floor, howling in pain over the splinter in your finger, you're being a tad melodramatic, that is, exaggerated, affected, or histrionic. This term was first used in early-19th-century theater, as the adjective form of the noun melodrama, which is a performance piece featuring exaggerated characters with emotional appeal. Outside the theater, melodramatic behavior is also characterized by a kind of performance or exaggeration of emotions, but it's very rarely appreciated or awarded extra points for artistic merit. The common phrase "Quit being so melodramatic!" is a terse way of pointing out to someone that they are overreacting.
Vocabulary lists containing melodramatic
100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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Tone and Point of View, List 4
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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.
“It’s a fine line between being melodramatic and being truthful” in birth and death scenes, the Southern California native tells The Envelope.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
If “Pressure” is any indicator, we might be in a new era when what Ike dubbed the Crusade in Europe will be reimagined as melodramatic schlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
She said the feedback only anchored her belief in the story, but also meant the production needed to capitalize on the qualities that make a micro-drama captivating — like regular cliffhangers and melodramatic moments.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
The light on Mag is framed like a melodramatic diva’s spotlight, and the close-ups of Delano’s electric purple lip gloss and severe makeup heighten the sequence’s sense of surrealism.
From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2026
Cool Hand Luke, Brubaker, The Shawshank Redemption, and many others paint melodramatic pictures of prison life that have some common denominators.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
