melodrama
Use Melodrama in a sentence
əˌdrɑ 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.
Related forms
min·i·mel·o·dra·ma, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To melodrama
00:10
Melodrama
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
melodrama (ˈmɛləˌdrɑːmə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| [C19: from French mélodrame, from Greek melos song + drame | |
| melodramatist | |
| —n | |
| melodramatic | |
| —adj | |
| melodramatics | |
| —pl n | |
| melodra'matically | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
melodrama
1802, melodrame, "a stage-play in which songs were interspersed and music accompanied the action," from Fr. mélodrame, from Gk. melos "song" (see melody) + Fr. drame "drama" (see drama). Meaning "a romantic and sensational dramatic piece
with a happy ending" is from 1883, since this was often the form of the original melodramas.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
melodrama definition
A play or film in which the plot is often sensational and the characters may display exaggerated emotion.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
When drama erodes into melodrama one of the warning signals is the appearance of token figures.
In melodrama it is when you cheat that you are dull.
IT happened again yesterday on the circuits: a deadly bore atop a double bill, and a pretty fair melodrama buried underneath.
The testimony that week had been more farce than melodrama.
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