melodrama
noun
melo·dra·ma
ˈme-lə-ˌdrä-mə 
-ˌdra-
1
a
: a work (such as a movie or play) characterized by extravagant theatricality and by the predominance of plot and physical action over characterization
an actor with a flair for melodrama
b
: the genre (see genre sense 1) of dramatic literature constituted by such works
2
: something resembling a melodrama especially in having a sensational or theatrical quality
The trial turned into a melodrama.
Examples of melodrama in a Sentence
Critics dismissed his work as melodrama.
an actor with a talent for melodrama
She is starring in another melodrama.
The trial turned into a melodrama.
a life full of melodrama
Recent Examples on the Web
In this 1950s melodrama, Korean War vet Lee (Will Poulter) wants to move from Kansas to California to begin a new life with wife Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and brother Julius (Jacob Elordi).
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
The set-up could easily slip into grim melodrama, but Jackman infuses it with a pop-tastic fun.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Rossellini’s film is part of a distinctive canon of modernist melodramas that self-consciously acknowledge the tension of those oppositions and foreground their symbolic disruption of realistic conventions.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2025
There are layers of grunts and bangs; there is an increasingly insistent electronic score by Steve Jablonsky and, loudest of all, there are numerous ’70s needle drops that fully exploit the melodrama of prog rock.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melodrama
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
The set-up could easily slip into grim melodrama, but Jackman infuses it with a pop-tastic fun.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Rossellini’s film is part of a distinctive canon of modernist melodramas that self-consciously acknowledge the tension of those oppositions and foreground their symbolic disruption of realistic conventions.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2025
There are layers of grunts and bangs; there is an increasingly insistent electronic score by Steve Jablonsky and, loudest of all, there are numerous ’70s needle drops that fully exploit the melodrama of prog rock.
—Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melodrama
Cite this Entry
“Melodrama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melodrama. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
melodrama
noun
melo·dra·ma
ˈmel-ə-ˌdräm-ə
-ˌdram-
1
a
: a work (as a movie or play) marked by the exaggerated emotions of the characters and the importance of action and plot
b
: such works as a group
2
: melodramatic events or behavior
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share