dramatize

verb

dra·​ma·​tize ˈdra-mə-ˌtīz How to pronounce dramatize (audio) ˈdrä- How to pronounce dramatize (audio)
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 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
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These references are likely due to the intersection of American identification with Roman republicanism, which the play dramatizes, and the long history of American interest in Shakespeare specifically. JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025 Scenes slide from the first to the third person, as though the narrator is dramatizing her own story for the reader’s consumption. Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025 And late one night, Bruce happened to catch Badlands, Terrence Malick’s 1973 movie that dramatized the killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, on TV. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025 The film, produced by Star Platinum, dramatizes a 1970 incident in which a communist group hijacked a passenger plane and diverted it to Pyongyang. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dramatize

Word History

Etymology

dramat-, stem in derivation of drama + -ize

First Known Use

1783, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dramatize was in 1783

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Cite this Entry

“Dramatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dramatize. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on dramatize

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