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 

-ˈdrä-

noun

Examples of melodrama in a Sentence

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

Where the needle falls between fact and fiction matters less than the balance Spielberg strikes between demonstrating the holocaust’s horrors and creating complex characters not with melodrama, but subtlety. —John Ortved, Vogue, 14 June 2024

It’s richly made TV — rarely focused on the hunt for dinner but on something far more interesting: the melodrama of vampire existence, with its combination of boredom and lust and tragedy and zingers. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2024

Ava DuVernay’s Origin is both essay film and melodrama, though neither description quite does it justice. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 June 2024

Some of the films on this list feature straightforward scares, while others, like Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, combine horror with sci-fi, comedy, and even melodrama. —EW.com, 2 June 2024

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

Kids Definition

melodrama

noun

melo·​dra·​ma ˈmel-ə-ˌdräm-ə 

-ˌdram-

1

a

: a work (as a movie or play) marked by the exaggerated emotions of the characters and the importance of action and plot

b

: such works as a group

2

: melodramatic events or behavior