psychodrama
noun
psy·cho·dra·ma
ˌsī-kō-ˈdrä-mə 
-ˈdra-
1
: an extemporized dramatization designed to afford catharsis and social relearning for one or more of the participants from whose life history the plot is abstracted
2
: a dramatic narrative or work characterized by psychological overtones
3
: an often ongoing psychological struggle
also
: an expression of psychological turmoil
Examples of psychodrama in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Music Box Films has picked up U.S. rights for Just the Two of Us, a French psychodrama from Queen of Hearts director Valérie Donzelli starring Benedetta and Elle actress Virginie Efira as a woman terrorized by her seemingly ideal husband (a chilling Melvil Poupaud).
—
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
The cover art arrived ten days before the music, setting up a long runway for the kind of radiating psychodrama that no American pop artist stirs quite like Beyoncé.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The psychodrama is deep-dish, and director Darren Aronofsky balances his darker impulses with humor and some of the best performances of his filmography.
—Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2024
The Devil’s Bath, an Austrian horror film from Goodnight Mommy directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, which Playtime is selling worldwide, could be too gory for the Berlin jury, but the psychodrama about a woman driven to extremes in the 18th century rural Austria, won over Berlin audiences.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024
Starz has picked up the U.S. and Canada rights to Mary & George, an historical psychodrama starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine and created and penned by Killing Eve writer D.C. Moore.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023
More than three years after its initial release, the masochistic psychodrama that is Hades still has the gaming community in a kinky stranglehold — so much so that Netflix is getting in on the action.
—Vulture, 11 Nov. 2023
And every moment of relatable human psychodrama is met with two more over-the-top superhero comic book melodrama.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 17 Oct. 2023
The contrast between the pleasures that music can provide and the damage obvious in Frank’s demeanor immediately frames what follows as a solo psychodrama.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023
Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
The cover art arrived ten days before the music, setting up a long runway for the kind of radiating psychodrama that no American pop artist stirs quite like Beyoncé.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The psychodrama is deep-dish, and director Darren Aronofsky balances his darker impulses with humor and some of the best performances of his filmography.
—Joshua Rothkopf, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2024
The Devil’s Bath, an Austrian horror film from Goodnight Mommy directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, which Playtime is selling worldwide, could be too gory for the Berlin jury, but the psychodrama about a woman driven to extremes in the 18th century rural Austria, won over Berlin audiences.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024
Starz has picked up the U.S. and Canada rights to Mary & George, an historical psychodrama starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine and created and penned by Killing Eve writer D.C. Moore.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023
More than three years after its initial release, the masochistic psychodrama that is Hades still has the gaming community in a kinky stranglehold — so much so that Netflix is getting in on the action.
—Vulture, 11 Nov. 2023
And every moment of relatable human psychodrama is met with two more over-the-top superhero comic book melodrama.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 17 Oct. 2023
The contrast between the pleasures that music can provide and the damage obvious in Frank’s demeanor immediately frames what follows as a solo psychodrama.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'psychodrama.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near psychodrama
Cite this Entry
“Psychodrama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/psychodrama. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
psychodrama
noun
psy·cho·dra·ma
ˌsī-kō-ˈdräm-ə, -ˈdram-; ˈsī-kō-ˌdräm-ə, -ˌdram-
: an extemporized dramatization designed to afford catharsis and social relearning for one or more of the participants from whose life history the plot is abstracted
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