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

The actress wore an electric red skirt, embellished with layers of feathers and further dramatized with a lengthy train. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 3 Jan. 2026

The television creator knows how to pique viewers’ interest, often dramatizing notable people and events. —Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026

By dramatizing and diversifying its many acts of formation, Your Name Here provides its few but devoted admirers with a surprisingly moving argument for spiky, irregular, even incomplete literature. —Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2026

Following Collins’s lead, Whitaker, McMillan, and her co-screenwriter Ronald Bass dramatized a cohort of women seeking ecstatic experiences of their own. —Niela Orr, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025

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