dramatization

noun

dra·​ma·​ti·​za·​tion ˌdra-mə-tə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌdrä-

1

: the action of dramatizing

2

: a dramatized version (as of a novel)

Synonyms

• drama
• play

Examples of dramatization in a Sentence

a dramatization of a true story

Recent Examples on the Web

Regarding over dramatizations, Sonny’s sudden re-introduction to F1 makes for a compelling underdog story and generational clash with his teammate but in reality, nobody gets a seat in real-world F1 without arduously clawing their way up through Formula 2, Formula 3 and other motorsport leagues. —Karl Moore, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025

The result is a vivid, surprisingly varied range of bummers, both domestic and foreign, many of them exquisite in their stoic but not heartless dramatizations of a world out to get you, somehow, with forces of doom snaking through the narratives. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025

The show is basically a dramatization of how news is made, sometimes manipulated, and monetized. —Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

The movie oscillates between forms—a dramatization of therapy, a cockeyed meditation on family, a two-hour sitcom—as if searching for a new creative frequency. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dramatization

• self-dramatization

Rhymes for dramatization

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

dramatization

noun

dra·​ma·​ti·​za·​tion

variants or British dramatisation

ˌdram-ət-ə-ˈzā-shən, ˌdräm- 

: the transformation which in psychoanalytic theory the underlying dream thoughts undergo into dramatic and pictorial form before they can take part in the actual dream