melodrama
noun
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.
melodramatics
-
a word derived from
melodrama.
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.
Ben Hania’s insistence on close-up melodramatics — faces in anguish, a handheld camera glued to them — sometimes overshadows a thirst for something more analytical.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
The ride up with Fanny in Act 1 is gleeful, but the climb back down in Act 2, after the shine has worn off the marriage, plunges the show into dreary melodramatics.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 28, 2022
Over 12 minutes of Wagnerian melodramatics, he repeated that guarantee no less that 30 times - but fans have long been confused about what it was he wouldn't do.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2022
Bridging the gap between those two aesthetics — Hugo’s darkly thundering melodramatics and the smiley-faced warmth of a Disney cartoon — proves tricky.
From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2015
“Now that is the most theatrical display of melodramatics I have ever seen in my life.”
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
