theatricalize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to put into dramatic or theatrical form; dramatize.
-
to express or represent in a spectacular or extravagantly histrionic manner.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of theatricalize
First recorded in 1770–80; theatrical + -ize
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:
Instead of trying to theatricalize its story through finding playable action, The Inheritance tries to solve the problem of adapting a literary work through emphasizing its literariness.
From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2019
Unlike in, say, “Stuffed,” in which the comedian Lisa Lampanelli looked at her body issues, there are no attempts to theatricalize the production.
From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2018
And he was so funny that I did not have to theatricalize my laughter.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 1, 2015
Why theatricalize a work that achieves its excellence through the short story virtues of modesty, compression and understatement?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2015
There are some realities you cannot theatricalize when you translate the reality to lingua franca, which is what English is for the movies.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2012
Even though Gardiner has theatricalized the typically sparse musical with more ambitious design elements and stagecraft, Smith’s storytelling and vocals still carry the show.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2022
At the California Science Center, the exhibition design for these gilded wood sculptures and assorted implements of daily life is overly theatricalized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2018
A fearsomely talented guitarist with dreams of pop domination — or so her highly theatricalized live performances in recent years have suggested — St. Vincent is never less than memorable in concert.
From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2017
Cipher Singer-composer Samita Sinha explores a variety of sonic landscapes in this theatricalized work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2015
“Literature that is lifelike in essence, moral without being hypocritical, dramatic without being theatricalized, inspiring without being preachy.”
From In the Heart of a Fool by William Allen White
That sentence was so clear and so moving, and I started thinking about theatricalizing the idea that one person can literally be your whole world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2025
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