dramatize

verb

dra·​ma·​tize ˈdra-mə-ˌtīz  ˈdrä- 

dramatized; dramatizing

transitive verb

1

: to adapt (something, such as a novel) for theatrical presentation

2

: to present or represent in a dramatic manner

intransitive verb

1

: to be suitable for dramatization

2

: to behave dramatically

dramatizable

ˈdra-mə-ˌtī-zə-bəl 

ˈdrä-

adjective

Examples of dramatize in a Sentence

The movie dramatizes her early life.

The book is dramatized in a new play.

I know I tend to dramatize things but it really was awful.

She cited a series of statistics to dramatize the seriousness of the problem.

This tragedy dramatizes the need for improvements in highway safety.

Recent Examples on the Web

Schiller is a man who cheated death and whose harrowing ordeal is dramatized by actor Tony Shalhoub in a recent movie. —Troy Roberts, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

Robber Robber don’t relive their apartment fire in literal terms on the album or dramatize the months spent living out of suitcases. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026

The film takes liberties with timelines and events; some are real incidents, while others are fabricated or dramatized to illuminate the challenges that the real-life Johnson, Jackson, and Vaughan faced in their work and their lives. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2026

The movie’s attempts to dramatize her history of near-violence feel perfunctory to the point of incuriosity. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

dramat-, stem in derivation of drama + -ize

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for dramatize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

dramatize

verb

dram·​a·​tize

ˈdram-ə-ˌtīz, 

ˈdräm-

1

: to make into a drama

2

: to present or represent in a dramatic manner

dramatization

ˌdram-ət-ə-ˈzā-shən, 

ˌdräm-

noun