melodrama
noun
melo·dra·ma ˈme-lə-ˌdrä-mə 
-ˌdra-
1
a
: a work (such as a movie or play) characterized by extravagant theatricality and by the predominance of plot and physical action over characterization
an actor with a flair for melodrama
b
: the genre (see genre sense 1) of dramatic literature constituted by such works
2
: something resembling a melodrama especially in having a sensational or theatrical quality
The trial turned into a melodrama.
melodramatist
ˌme-lə-ˈdra-mə-tist
noun -ˈdrä-
Example Sentences
Critics dismissed his work as melodrama. an actor with a talent for melodrama She is starring in another melodrama. The trial turned into a melodrama. a life full of melodrama
Recent Examples on the Web Americans these days think of the British monarchy in terms of celebrity and family melodrama: Diana and Charles, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, Harry and Meghan Markle’s flight from their royal duties for a life in North America. 
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 The series is a combination of hospital melodrama and grotesque horror, which follows the staff and patients of a cutting-edge but haunted hospital in Copenhagen. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2022 The line between the human world and the spirit one is very thin in Kaneto Shindo's atmospheric ghost story, which stands out thanks to its eerie blend of savage violence, domestic melodrama, and haunting romance. Katie Rife, EW.com, 30 July 2022 The melodrama, which deals with reincarnation and online behavior, won the FIPRESCI nod. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 May 2022 That’s as hard to buy as the film’s awkward mashup of time-travel mayhem with sudsy melodrama about a fractured family’s path to healing. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2022 Mitski scales the peak of pop melodrama in her fashionably ’80s synth-rock jaunt. Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2022 There are the makings here of a melodrama like the ones that Earl and the narrator enjoy watching. Garth Greenwell, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 Luhrmann’s taste for poperatic spectacle is evident all the way, resulting in a movie that exults in moments of high melodrama as much as in theatrical artifice and vigorously entertaining performance. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2022 See More
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 The series is a combination of hospital melodrama and grotesque horror, which follows the staff and patients of a cutting-edge but haunted hospital in Copenhagen. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2022 The line between the human world and the spirit one is very thin in Kaneto Shindo's atmospheric ghost story, which stands out thanks to its eerie blend of savage violence, domestic melodrama, and haunting romance. Katie Rife, EW.com, 30 July 2022 The melodrama, which deals with reincarnation and online behavior, won the FIPRESCI nod. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 May 2022 That’s as hard to buy as the film’s awkward mashup of time-travel mayhem with sudsy melodrama about a fractured family’s path to healing. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2022 Mitski scales the peak of pop melodrama in her fashionably ’80s synth-rock jaunt. Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2022 There are the makings here of a melodrama like the ones that Earl and the narrator enjoy watching. Garth Greenwell, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 Luhrmann’s taste for poperatic spectacle is evident all the way, resulting in a movie that exults in moments of high melodrama as much as in theatrical artifice and vigorously entertaining performance. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
modification of French mélodrame, from Greek melos song + French drame drama, from Late Latin drama
First Known Use
1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
melodrama
noun
1
as in tragicomedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- tragicomedy
- psychodrama
- comedy
- musical
- tragedy
- drama
- musical comedy
- dramedy
- playlet
- monodrama
- interlude
- docudrama
- comedy drama
- dramatization
- opus
- adaptation
- magnum opus
- work
- play
2
as in sentimentality
Synonyms & Similar Words
- sentimentality
- mawkishness
- histrionics
- emotionalism
- emotionality
- sappiness
- earnestness
- emotion
- cathexis
- violence
- excitement
- gusto
- fervor
- zest
- infatuation
- obsession
- intensity
- eagerness
- heat
- passionateness
- white heat
- fever
- ardency
- warmth
- intenseness
- fanaticism
- fire
- sympathy
- fervency
- mania
- enthusiasm
- zeal
- tenderness
- vehemence
- ardor
- sentiment
- compassion
- keenness
- fervidness
- hot-bloodedness
- responsiveness
- passion
- torridness
- torridity
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- impassivity
- insensitivity
- impassiveness
- reticence
- insensitiveness
- indifference
- dryness
- stoicism
- insensibility
- aloofness
- composure
- taciturnity
- phlegm
- apathy
- calmness
- stoniness
- reserve
- detachedness
- stiffness
- unconcern
- reservedness
- insensibleness
- coldness
- collectedness
- woodenness
- frigidity
- chilliness
- coolness
- frigidness