dramatize
Americanverb (used with object)
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dramatizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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dramatized,
past participle, past
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dramatizing
present participle
-
to put into a form suitable for acting on a stage.
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to express or represent vividly, emotionally, or strikingly.
He dramatizes his woes with sobs and sighs.
verb (used without object)
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dramatizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dramatized,
past participle, past
-
dramatizing
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to put into dramatic form
-
to express or represent (something) in a dramatic or exaggerated way
he dramatizes his illness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dramatizernoun
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overdramatizeverb
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dramatizableadjective
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undramatizableadjective
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undramatizedadjective
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well-dramatizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dramatizesimple
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dramatizessimple
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have dramatizedperfect
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has dramatizedperfect
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am dramatizingprogressive
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are dramatizingprogressive
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is dramatizingprogressive
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have been dramatizingperfect progressive
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has been dramatizingperfect progressive
Past
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dramatizedsimple
-
had dramatizedperfect
-
was dramatizingprogressive
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were dramatizingprogressive
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had been dramatizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dramatize
Explanation
To dramatize something is to put it in dramatic form (like a TV show or movie) or make it seem more dramatic, using exaggeration. Anytime you see a movie or TV show about real events, the actors are dramatizing what really happened. If you slipped on the sidewalk and hurt your knee a little but later made it sound like the most tragic event in the history of humanity, you're guilty of dramatizing what happened. To dramatize in that way is to exaggerate and embellish — it's something that we all do occasionally.
Vocabulary lists containing dramatize
March: Book Two
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ize
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-ize, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Mr. Sorkin attempts to dramatize this discussion via heavy use of charts and repeated invocations of a figure: 64% of those who joined extremist groups on Facebook were directed there by the platform’s own algorithm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Because these stories have to dramatize a search for normalcy, its leads tend to be awkward in ways that strain credulity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
In its second section, the novel flashes forward to dramatize an academic symposium organized to honor Thomas after his death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
It is a fine line since law ads can dramatize, but they are not allowed to promise results or payouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025
“We Communists don’t dramatize Negro nationalism,” he said in a voice that laughed, accused, and drawled.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Caesars Sportsbook’s new NFL-season campaign dramatizes changes to its app by giving former Green Bay Packers star Clay Matthews a looksmaxxing makeover.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
That shaving scene referenced earlier dramatizes why this and other supposedly neutral policies painfully disfavor some people without diving into a medical manual.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2025
That spirit of fellowship prompted Taylor to join an experimental theater production that dramatizes the neighborhood’s distinct character and explores the complexities of its demise: “Displacement: Stories From Section 14.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2024
She was dropped by her publisher and resigned from several boards she served on after “When They See Us,” which dramatizes the events surrounding the trial, debuted.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
It dramatizes sound with unique artistic rhythm and design.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The case of Los Primos has dramatized the proliferation of graft in the armed forces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Here’s what is true and what is dramatized in “Pressure.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
The long, arduous path to freedom for a man on death row is dramatized in “The Fear of 13,” a modestly affecting but plodding documentary-based play first seen at London’s prestigious Donmar Warehouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Melies ended up as a toy seller in Paris’ Gare Montparnasse train station -- a story that was dramatized in Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film, "Hugo."
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
It dramatized three situations that, we were told, had actually occurred in the past two years.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
The Webb score is subtle and insinuating, but it could also be explosive, as in the devastating discovery cue dramatizing the heroine’s realization that she is being poisoned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The costly behind-the-scenes chaos illustrates the risks in dramatizing the life of a controversial real person.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
It is a work of theater, dramatizing feelings, as the earlier Disney staging attempted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
Why was it important to you to tell this story as a documentary versus dramatizing it?
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2024
As we walk the rest of the way home from school we take turns reading them out loud, dramatizing the parts like radio plays, pausing to shriek with laughter.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
