melodramatic
Americanadjective
-
of, like, or befitting melodrama.
-
exaggerated and emotional or sentimental; sensational or sensationalized; overdramatic.
noun
Other Word Forms
- melodramatically adverb
- nonmelodramatic adjective
- nonmelodramatically adverb
- unmelodramatic adjective
- unmelodramatically adverb
Etymology
Origin of melodramatic
First recorded in 1810–20; melodrama + (drama)tic
Explanation
If you're writhing on the floor, howling in pain over the splinter in your finger, you're being a tad melodramatic, that is, exaggerated, affected, or histrionic. This term was first used in early-19th-century theater, as the adjective form of the noun melodrama, which is a performance piece featuring exaggerated characters with emotional appeal. Outside the theater, melodramatic behavior is also characterized by a kind of performance or exaggeration of emotions, but it's very rarely appreciated or awarded extra points for artistic merit. The common phrase "Quit being so melodramatic!" is a terse way of pointing out to someone that they are overreacting.
Vocabulary lists containing melodramatic
100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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Tone and Point of View, List 4
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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.
But Jude is more vinegary and direct about his concerns than he is melodramatic.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Opening track I Will Overcome finds her doom-scrolling through her phone on the rainy streets of Paris, set to an orchestral score that recalls Sondheim at his most melodramatic.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
Her melodramatic sorrow at her stilted relationship with Alexis is palpable even as she mourns her daughter’s unwillingness to join her on a wine tasting tour in France . . . when Alexis was seven.
From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026
Mr. Desplechin takes a quick-cutting, kaleidoscopic approach to this domestic epic, and evokes in richly melodramatic style the feeling of passing the holidays with extended family.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
It sounded melodramatic, but her brother was probably right.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
