self-dramatizing

American  

[self-dram-uh-tahy-zing, -drah-muh-, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈdræm əˌtaɪ zɪŋ, -ˈdrɑ mə-, ˈsɛlf- /

adjective

1. exaggerating one's own qualities, role, situation, etc., for dramatic effect or as an attention-getting device; presenting oneself dramatically.

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Other Word Forms

• self-dramatization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of self-dramatizing

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

As self-dramatizing as she is self-effacing, the character is ill-equipped for everyday life.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2025

But I was still shocked by Monday’s self-dramatizing use of their platform.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2024

They don’t seem especially attached to their three children: self-dramatizing Hayley, self-serving Roy and dutiful Simon.

From Washington Post • Jun. 14, 2021

This quality makes for a radically self-dramatizing conception of politics.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 13, 2019

In her review of a biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay, for example, Moore notes that she was “petite, intense, bright, witty, romantic, freckled, auburn-haired, self-dramatizing and beautiful.”

From New York Times • Mar. 26, 2018