theatrical
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the theater or dramatic presentations.
theatrical performances.
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suggestive of the theater or of acting; artificial, pompous, spectacular, or extravagantly histrionic.
a theatrical display of grief.
- Synonyms:
- extravagant, stagy, melodramatic, exaggerated
noun
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theatricals,
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dramatic performances, now especially as given by amateurs.
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artificial or histrionic actions.
-
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a professional actor.
a family of renowned theatricals.
adjective
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of or relating to the theatre or dramatic performances
-
exaggerated and affected in manner or behaviour; histrionic
Other Word Forms
- half-theatrical adjective
- nontheatric adjective
- nontheatrical adjective
- nontheatrically adverb
- overtheatrical adjective
- overtheatrically adverb
- overtheatricalness noun
- quasi-theatrical adjective
- quasi-theatrically adverb
- semitheatric adjective
- semitheatrical adjective
- semitheatrically adverb
- theatricality noun
- theatrically adverb
- theatricalness noun
- untheatric adjective
- untheatrical adjective
- untheatrically adverb
Etymology
Origin of theatrical
1550–60; < Late Latin theātric ( us ) < Greek theātrikós, equivalent to theā́tr ( on ) theater + -ikos -ic + -al 1
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.
Any fan of “Dawson’s Creek” who went to see “The Rules of Attraction” during its original theatrical run was certainly in for a surprise, too.
From Salon
Patel’s tenure has been marked by a pattern of premature announcements and theatrical incompetence.
From Salon
The appeal was obvious: It was cheap, fast and theatrical.
This first installment of Murphy’s latest anthology franchise is a serviceable romance in a time when such stories rarely receive even modest studio budgets, let alone wide theatrical release.
From Salon
In retrospect, these talk-show cooking programs were a bridge from the instructional shows to the next big thing: theatrical cooking competitions.
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.
