Entry Word: dramatic

Function: adjective

Meaning: 1 having the general quality or effect of a stage performance <the basketball playerʼs dramatic announcement of his sudden retirement held everybody spellbound>

Synonyms histrionic, melodramatic, theatrical

Related Words affected, emotional, sensational

Near Antonyms matter-of-fact, monotonous

Antonyms undramatic, untheatrical

2 given to or marked by attention-getting behavior suggestive of stage acting <oh, donʼt be so dramatic, and just tell us, without the pregnant pauses, what happened> — see theatrical 1
3 likely to attract attention <a dramatic drop in the temperature overnight> — see noticeable