his·tri·on·ics

[his-tree-on-iks]
noun ( used with a singular or plural verb )
1.
dramatic representation; theatricals; acting.
2.
behavior or speech for effect, as insincere or exaggerated expression of an emotion; dramatics; operatics: Cut out the histrionics—we know you're not really mad.

Origin:
1860–65; see histrionic, -ics

hysterics, histrionics.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

his·tri·on·ic

[his-tree-on-ik]
adjective Also, his·tri·on·i·cal.
1.
of or pertaining to actors or acting.
2.
deliberately affected or self-consciously emotional; overly dramatic, in behavior or speech.
noun
3.
an actor.

Origin:
1640–50; < Late Latin histrōnicus of actors, equivalent to histriōn- (stem of histriō) actor (said to be < Etruscan) + -icus -ic

his·tri·on·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·his·tri·on·ic, adjective
non·his·tri·on·i·cal, adjective
non·his·tri·on·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·his·tri·on·i·cal·ness, noun
un·his·tri·on·ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To histrionics
00:10
Histrionics is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
Collins
World English Dictionary
histrionic or histrionical (ˌhɪstrɪˈɒnɪk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  excessively dramatic, insincere, or artificial: histrionic gestures
2.  rare dramatic
 
n
3.  (plural) melodramatic displays of temperament
4.  rare (plural, functioning as singular) dramatics
 
[C17: from Late Latin histriōnicus of a player, from histriō actor]
 
histrionical or histrionical
 
adj
 
n
 
[C17: from Late Latin histriōnicus of a player, from histriō actor]
 
histri'onically or histrionical
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

histrionic
1648, from L. histrionicus "pertaining to an actor," from histrio (gen. histrionis) "actor," said to be of Etruscan origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Histrionics fly high in the mistaken notion that shouting is synonymous with
  acting.
In the past he has faced down critics with histrionics and theatrical
  brinkmanship.
But its histrionics were attention getting rather than eloquent.
Which is a pity, because a rich and peculiar story lies underneath the
  histrionics.
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