histrionic

adjective

his·​tri·​on·​ic ˌhi-strē-ˈä-nik 

1

: deliberately affected : overly dramatic or emotional : theatrical

histrionic gestures

a tendency to become histrionic

2

: of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater

seeking histrionic perfection

histrionically

ˌhi-strē-ˈä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

The term histrionic developed from histrio, Latin for "actor." Something that is histrionic tends to remind one of the high drama of stage and screen and is often stagy and over-the-top. It especially calls to mind the theatrical form known as the melodrama, where plot and physical action, not characterization, are emphasized. But something that is histrionic isn't always overdone; the word can also simply refer to an actor or describe something related to the theater. In that sense, it becomes a synonym of thespian.

Synonyms

• dramatic
• hammy
• melodramatic
• stagy
• stagey
• theatrical
• theatric

Choose the Right Synonym for histrionic

dramatic, theatrical, histrionic, melodramatic mean having a character or an effect like that of acted plays.

dramatic applies to situations in life and literature that stir the imagination and emotions deeply.

a dramatic meeting of world leaders

theatrical implies a crude appeal through artificiality or exaggeration in gesture or vocal expression.

a theatrical oration

histrionic applies to tones, gestures, and motions and suggests a deliberate affectation or staginess.

a histrionic show of grief

melodramatic suggests an exaggerated emotionalism or an inappropriate theatricalism.

made a melodramatic plea

Examples of histrionic in a Sentence

a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper

we never tired of his histrionic reenactment of how he found money under the floorboards of a house he was renovating

Recent Examples on the Web

In truth, not even the most stolid skeptic maintains that Trump is a perfectly normal politician, and not even the most histrionic #Resistance foot soldier believes that Trump is literally Orange Hitler. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024

The histrionic burden falls heaviest on Lock, who cannot be said to emerge unscathed. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024

That may sound a tad histrionic; politicians have always been in the business of swaying opinion, and propaganda has always been part of geopolitics. —Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024

And recall the histrionic bleating from academics when the Times and other papers started to take seriously the accusations from conservatives that Harvard president Claudine Gay had plagiarized much of her academic work. —Christian Schneider, National Review, 8 Feb. 2024

It’s been a histrionic season for the cast at News Corp., particularly its mainstage production at Fox News. —Thr Staff, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2023

The teens don’t seem at all remorseful about their actions, while their openly hypocritical — and increasingly histrionic — parents worry about not only their kids’ futures, but how doing what’s right might impact their careers. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023

But the principals are collectively underserved by a script that emphasizes histrionic drama over thoughtful character development, and conflates darkness with depth. —Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Sep. 2023

For here are British aristocrats, Lady Caroline chief among them, indulging in the kind of histrionic behavior that gave Romanticism a bad name: swooning and raging, hurling themselves out of carriages, and making poor attempts at stabbing themselves or each other. —Anna Mundow, WSJ, 9 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin histrionicus, from Latin histrion-, histrio actor

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

histrionic

adjective

his·​tri·​on·​ic ˌhis-trē-ˈän-ik 

1

: too emotional or dramatic

2

: of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater

histrionically

-ˈän-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb