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
I did everything I could to theatricalize him in the extreme.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 29, 2016
Preserving the integrity of the drama, the way it attempts to theatricalize the autistic way of processing the world, was the priority, and Elliott and her team were richly rewarded for not compromising their plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 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
The play is a spoof of the theatricalized murder mystery.
From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2017
The proceedings can seem less like a fresh retelling of a seminal story and more like, despite stabs at grit and terror, a theatricalized, dewy-eyed version of days past.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 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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