histrionic
adjective
Did you know?
The term histrionic developed from histrio, Latin for "actor." Something that is histrionic tends to remind one of the high drama of stage and screen and is often stagy and over-the-top. It especially calls to mind the theatrical form known as the melodrama, where plot and physical action, not characterization, are emphasized. But something that is histrionic isn't always overdone; the word can also simply refer to an actor or describe something related to the theater. In that sense, it becomes a synonym of thespian.
Synonyms
- dramatic
- hammy
- melodramatic
- stagy
- stagey
- theatrical
- theatric
Example Sentences
Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022 On the right, there’s a parallel, if more histrionic, insistence that the Democrats and the liberal establishment comprise some sort of tyrannical front. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2022 With Pop art and nascent Minimalism, New York artists were turning no end of tables on solemnly histrionic Abstract Expressionism, which had established our town as the new wheelhouse of creative origination worldwide. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022 The knowingly histrionic zoomer soap opera has become a slasher movie. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2022 Some of the encounters — such as one in which Lola and T heap their own misplaced fury on another pathetic patient played by Marilyn Torres — are histrionic. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 20 May 2022 Bechdel recalls bursting into tears reading these lines, while also poking fun at herself as lightly histrionic for having done so. Sarah Blackwood, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2022 Curry, who spent 12 hours with Heard, diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 2 June 2022 In the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial, a psychologist named Dr Shannon Curry, employed by Depp, ‘diagnosed’ Heard with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and histrionic personality disorder (HPD). Eleanor Morgan, refinery29.com, 1 June 2022 See More Word History
Late Latin histrionicus, from Latin histrion-, histrio actor
1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1
histrionic
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- theatrical
- theatric
- dramatic
- melodramatic
- hammy
- exaggerated
- stagy
- stagey
- conspicuous
- staged
- unnatural
- sensational
- actorly
- overacted
- showy
- grandiose
- flamboyant
- ostentatious
- overdone
- mannered
- actressy
- pretentious
- actorish
- elaborate
- studied
- artificial
- affected
- self-conscious
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- conservative
- undramatic
- restrained
- unpretentious
- unaffected
- nondramatic
- subdued
- toned (down)
- muted
- modest
- underplayed
- plain
- inconspicuous
- nontheatrical
- discreet
- simple
- quiet
Synonyms & Similar Words
- theatrical
- theatric
- dramatic
- operatic
- melodramatic
- emotional
- stagy
- stagey
- surprising
- sensational
- wonderful
- exciting
- actorly
- dramaturgic
- spectacular
- astonishing
- marvellous
- overdramatic
- hammy
- marvelous
- amazing
- wondrous
- dramaturgical
- emotionalistic
- ham
- awesome
- affected
- astounding
- actressy
- actorish
- fabulous
- eye-opening
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- undramatic
- monotonous
- unexciting
- unsensational
- ordinary
- unrewarding
- unspectacular
- uneventful
- matter-of-fact
- uninspiring
- unexceptional
- common
- commonplace
- unnewsworthy
- stale
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of histrionic are dramatic, melodramatic, and theatrical. While all these words mean "having a character or an effect like that of acted plays," histrionic applies to tones, gestures, and motions and suggests a deliberate affectation or staginess.
The synonyms dramatic and histrionic are sometimes interchangeable, but dramatic applies to situations in life and literature that stir the imagination and emotions deeply.
In some situations, the words melodramatic and histrionic are roughly equivalent. However, melodramatic suggests an exaggerated emotionalism or an inappropriate theatricalism.
The meanings of theatrical and histrionic largely overlap; however, theatrical implies a crude appeal through artificiality or exaggeration in gesture or vocal expression.