melodrama

[ mel-uh-drah-muh, -dram-uh ]

noun

1. a dramatic form that does not observe the laws of cause and effect and that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization.
2. melodramatic behavior or events.
3. (in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries) a romantic dramatic composition with music interspersed.

melodrama

/ ˈmɛləˌdrɑːmə; ˌmɛlədrəˈmætɪk; ˌmɛləˈdræmətɪst /

noun

1. a play, film, etc, characterized by extravagant action and emotion
2. (formerly) a romantic drama characterized by sensational incident, music, and song
3. overdramatic emotion or behaviour
4. a poem or part of a play or opera spoken to a musical accompaniment

melodrama

1. A play or film in which the plot is often sensational and the characters may display exaggerated emotion.

Derived Forms

• ˌmelodraˈmatics, noun:plural
• melodramatist, noun
• ˌmelodraˈmatically, adverb
• melodramatic, adjective

Other Words From

• mel·o·dram·a·tist [mel-, uh, -, dram, -, uh, -tist, -, drah, -m, uh, -], noun
• mini·melo·drama noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of melodrama¹

1800–10; < French mélodrame, equivalent to mélo- (< Greek mélos song) + drame drama

Word History and Origins

Origin of melodrama¹

C19: from French mélodrame, from Greek melos song + drame drama

Example Sentences

Audiard pushes them all into a type of feverish, Almodovar-adjacent melodrama that suits his instinct for sensorial cinema.

From Los Angeles Times

“Rumours” also benefits from Maddin’s cheesy, genre-specific DNA, especially in Stefan Ciupek’s pulsating cinematography, which combines mid-century melodrama with a fog-thick monster matinee.

From Los Angeles Times

For a first-time filmmaker, Kaphar confidently dives into his story’s complications, maintaining a texture even when certain parts slip into melodrama.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a police procedural, a metaphorical family comedy, a workplace comedy, a soap opera, a melodrama, a low-budget action adventure.

From Los Angeles Times

Large helpings of camp and melodrama propel grisly tales of ghoulish behavior.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adventure
• buzz
• commotion
• confusion
• drama
• elation
• emotion
• feeling
• frenzy
• furor
• fuss
• hysteria
• motivation
• passion
• rage
• thrill
• trepidation
• tumult
• turmoil
• warmth