operatic

adjective

op·​er·​at·​ic ˌä-pə-ˈra-tik 

1

: of or relating to opera

2

: grand, dramatic, or romantic in style or effect

operatically

ˌä-pə-ˈra-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• dramatic
• histrionic
• melodramatic
• stagy
• stagey
• theatrical
• theatric

Examples of operatic in a Sentence

the fall of the scandal-ridden government seemed operatic in its scope and consequences

Recent Examples on the Web

This is to the dismay of her partner (Philip Stoddard, not entirely comfortable in an operatic mode) and her best friend (a shape-shifting and likable Claire Leyden), and to the frustration of her doctor (a warm but firm Eliam Ramos). —Joshua Barone, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

But Beyoncé, ready to become a true diva in the operatic sense, keeps insisting that crying together is the only way to achieve world peace. —Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024

Qwerty harnesses the buzz of that lifestyle with a scale that borders the operatic: yearning soul melodies interrupted by anxious ad libs, voice-note recordings, and phone-notification pings, with devious melodic rivulets to link the bustling movements. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 21 Mar. 2024

And the virtually operatic story of one of the painter’s five subjects, a courtesan named Okita (Kinuyo Tanaka), who pays an unbearable price for illicit love, shows just how political Mizoguchi found personal life to be. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024

Guernica, his brutally operatic war painting, was a sensation. —Brian T. Allen, National Review, 17 Feb. 2024

For all of her high-note renown, her voice never ranked her with her contemporaries, the great operatic sopranos known by single names — Nilsson (Christina), Patti (Adelina), and Melba (Nellie, who had a dessert named after her). —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024

The score combines operatic singing and jazz with quotes from tunes by Bird and Thelonious Monk, Bakari said. —The Indianapolis Star, 14 Mar. 2024

Dahomey is only the second African film to win the top prize at Berlin, following Mark Dornford-May’s South African operatic drama Breathe Umphefumlo (U-Carmen eKhayelitsha) in 2015. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

opera entry 2 + -atic, probably after dramatic

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined at sense 1