melodrama

[mel-uh-drah-muh, -dram-uh]

noun

1. a dramatic form that does not observe the laws of cause and effect and that exaggerates emotion and emphasizes plot or action at the expense of characterization.

2. melodramatic behavior or events.

3. (in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries) a romantic dramatic composition with music interspersed.

melodrama

/ ˈmɛləˌdrɑːmə, ˌmɛlədrəˈmætɪk, ˌmɛləˈdræmətɪst /

noun

1. a play, film, etc, characterized by extravagant action and emotion

2. (formerly) a romantic drama characterized by sensational incident, music, and song

3. overdramatic emotion or behaviour

4. a poem or part of a play or opera spoken to a musical accompaniment

melodrama

1. A play or film in which the plot is often sensational and the characters may display exaggerated emotion.

Other Word Forms

• melodramatics plural noun
• melodramatist noun
• melodramatically adverb
• melodramatic adjective
• minimelodrama noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of melodrama¹

1800–10; < French mélodrame, equivalent to mélo- (< Greek mélos song) + drame drama

Word History and Origins

Origin of melodrama¹

C19: from French mélodrame, from Greek melos song + drame _drama

Example Sentences

“Butterfly” is a sort of an action soap, an extended family melodrama with guns.

From Los Angeles Times

“The Gilded Age” has always plied high-toned melodrama as its chief asset, but Season 3 ripens the starched formality of previous episodes into succulence.

From Salon

“Part of what makes ‘Sunset Boulevard’ such a pleasure to watch is that it’s always on the verge of tipping one way or another into comedy, mystery, melodrama, social satire, or horror,” Lubin writes.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a challenge to write from the perspective of a child without being arch or cutesy — stories about kids learning about the real world can degrade to plainspoken YA or cheap melodrama.

From Los Angeles Times

Dorsey is one of the chief villains of the musical, but Samonsky resists melodrama to find a credible psychological throughline for a man who has staked his career on the ends justifying the means.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• adventure 
• buzz 
• commotion 
• confusion 
• drama 
• elation 
• emotion 
• feeling 
• frenzy 
• furor 
• fuss 
• hysteria 
• motivation 
• passion 
• rage 
• thrill 
• trepidation 
• tumult 
• turmoil 
• warmth