dramatization
Americannoun
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the act of dramatizing.
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construction or representation in dramatic form.
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a dramatized version of a novel, historic incident, etc.
noun
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the reconstruction of an event, novel, story, etc in a form suitable for dramatic presentation
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the art or act of dramatizing
Etymology
Origin of dramatization
Explanation
A dramatization is the acting out of something. You see these a lot in documentaries. For example, there could be a dramatization of the JFK assassination, using actors to show what happened on that fateful day. If you watch a lot of true-crime shows, you probably regularly see dramatizations of dastardly deeds. Dramatization can also mean turning a novel into a movie or a play. Dramatization is a great way to cement learning. If you and your friends write a skit in biology class to show how photosynthesis works, you are much more likely to remember the process by which plants convert light into energy.
Vocabulary lists containing dramatization
Theater - Introductory
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Promises to Keep
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Theater - Middle School
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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.
Re-creating moments shown or discussed in documentaries, podcasts and in the frenzy of news coverage about the case felt like an important piece of the dramatization for Clarke.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2025
The intent is a kind of re-creation, or dramatization, of Cleopatra’s life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025
Although the movie is a Hollywood dramatization of what actually happened during the 2008 financial crisis, Saluzzi made an analogy to this scene and said it may be how financial institutions are now thinking.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 11, 2025
Many who digested the case when it first unspooled may see little need to pick up this thread via a new dramatization, regardless of how compelling it is.
From Salon • Aug. 20, 2025
The station had advertised the Halloween special for three weeks, and the broadcast was interrupted with announcements that it was a dramatization.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
