[mel-uh-drah-muh, -dram-uh] 
| 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. |
[mel-uh-dram-uh-tist, -drah-muh-] , noun | mel·o·dra·ma (měl'ə-drä'mə, -drām'ə) n.
[Alteration of melodrame, from French mélodrame, spoken drama that includes some musical accompaniment, melodrama : Greek melos, song + French drame, drama (from Late Latin drāma; see drama).] |
A play or film in which the plot is often sensational and the characters may display exaggerated emotion.
əˌdrɑ