melodrama
[ mel-uh-drah-muh, -dram-uh ]
/ ˈmɛl əˌdrɑ mə, -ˌdræm ə /
noun
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.
melodramatic behavior or events.
(in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries) a romantic dramatic composition with music interspersed.
Origin of melodrama
OTHER WORDS FROM melodrama
mel·o·dram·a·tist [mel-uh-dram-uh-tist, -drah-muh-] /ˌmɛl əˈdræm ə tɪst, -ˈdrɑ mə-/, noun min·i·mel·o·dra·ma, nounWords nearby melodrama
melodie,
melodion,
melodious,
melodist,
melodize,
melodrama,
melodramatic,
melodramatize,
melody,
meloid,
melon
Example sentences from the Web for melodrama
British Dictionary definitions for melodrama
melodrama
/ (ˈmɛləˌdrɑːmə) /
noun
a play, film, etc, characterized by extravagant action and emotion
(formerly) a romantic drama characterized by sensational incident, music, and song
overdramatic emotion or behaviour
a poem or part of a play or opera spoken to a musical accompaniment
Derived forms of melodrama
melodramatist (ˌmɛləˈdræmətɪst), noun melodramatic (ˌmɛlədrəˈmætɪk), adjective melodramatics, pl n melodramatically, adverbWord Origin for melodrama
C19: from French
mélodrame, from Greek
melos song +
drame
drama
Cultural definitions for melodrama
melodrama
A play or film in which the plot is often sensational and the characters may display exaggerated emotion.