histrionic

American  

[his-tree-on-ik] / ˌhɪs triˈɒn ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to actors or acting.

2. deliberately affected or self-consciously emotional; overly dramatic, in behavior or speech.

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noun

1. an actor.

histrionic British  

/ ˌhɪstrɪˈɒnɪk /

adjective

1. excessively dramatic, insincere, or artificial

   histrionic gestures

2. rare dramatic

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noun

1. (plural) melodramatic displays of temperament

2. rare (plural, functioning as singular) dramatics

Other Word Forms

• histrionically adverb
• nonhistrionic adjective
• nonhistrionical adjective
• nonhistrionically adverb
• nonhistrionicalness noun
• unhistrionic adjective

Etymology

Origin of histrionic

1640–50; < Late Latin histrōnicus of actors, equivalent to histriōn- (stem of histriō ) actor (said to be < Etruscan ) + -icus -ic

Example Sentences

“It asks a lot of people to try to step into a world like this one,” the actor says of the unabashedly histrionic screenplay.

From Los Angeles Times

But even by the standards of histrionic soccer outrage, their reaction was extreme.

From The Wall Street Journal

Purely as entertainment, it is inert; the story, about a family in mourning, features histrionics worthy of grand opera and a level of rudeness that could peel paint.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was malleable and oblong, perfectly complemented by a waft of boy-next-door blond locks and a brow that could convey emotion just as well as any histrionic soap dialogue.

From Salon

And the opera’s chorus and dancers took part in the Opening Ceremony held at the San Siro, home to Milan’s equally histrionic soccer teams.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• flamboyant
• frenzied
• histrionical
• maudlin
• mawkish
• overemotional
• overwrought
• sensational
• sentimental
• stagy