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
GammaTime launched this month on iOS and Android devices with more than 20 Hollywood-caliber vertical originals spanning suspense thriller, romantic melodramas and true crime.
—
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
At the juncture between postwar noir and golden-age melodrama is Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, a saturnine elegy to a lost Hollywood of the silent era, when faces and charisma were more desirable than voices or talent.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
In DaCosta’s hands, Ibsen’s emotionally extreme but tonally restrained play becomes a spectacular, flamboyant melodrama, with physical action as intense as the characters’ inner worlds.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
In the melodrama, Pere is saved from suicide by Rosario and regains the will to live.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for melodrama
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Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
At the juncture between postwar noir and golden-age melodrama is Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, a saturnine elegy to a lost Hollywood of the silent era, when faces and charisma were more desirable than voices or talent.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025
In DaCosta’s hands, Ibsen’s emotionally extreme but tonally restrained play becomes a spectacular, flamboyant melodrama, with physical action as intense as the characters’ inner worlds.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
In the melodrama, Pere is saved from suicide by Rosario and regains the will to live.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 13 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 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
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