[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 
əˌdrɑ