theatrical

adjective the·at·ri·cal \ thē-ˈa-tri-kəl \

variants: or less commonly theatric play \thē-ˈa-trik\

|Updated on: 10 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: theatrical in a Sentence

Definition of theatrical

1 : of or relating to the theater or the presentation of plays

a theatrical costume

2 : marked by pretense or artificiality of emotion

3 a : histrionic

a theatrical gesture

b : marked by extravagant display or exhibitionism

—

theatricalism

play \thē-ˈa-tri-kə-ˌli-zəm\ noun

—

theatricality

play \thē-ˌa-trə-ˈka-lə-tē\ noun

—

theatrically

play \thē-ˈa-tri-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See theatrical defined for English-language learners

See theatrical defined for kids

Examples of theatrical in a Sentence

a politician who has a highly theatrical manner of speaking
after stepping out of their hired limousine, the prom couple made a theatrical entrance in their evening clothes

Recent Examples of theatrical from the Web

But gay groups had a special flair for the theatrical nature of the zap action.

— sascha cohen, Smithsonian, "How Gay Activists Challenged the Politics of Civility," 10 July 2018
Madonna Madge famously ended up on the floor when her theatrical cape failed to properly rip off near the beginning of a 2015 Brit Awards performance.

— lydia price, PEOPLE.com, "13 Brave Singers Who Survived Absolutely Brutal Stage Falls," 9 July 2018
Fluff like this is a, well, inspired choice – the theatrical equivalent of a throwaway beach novel.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'Xanadu' glitters with goofiness at the Garden," 7 July 2018
Although Broadway at Music Circus has relied on Muñoz and his team for over 15 years, the warehouse hasn't always been their exclusive hub for theatrical accoutrements.

— jordan cutler-tietjen, sacbee, "Behind the scenes at Music Circus: "The better you are at your job, the less people notice"," 6 July 2018
In time, the students wove their material into something that resembles the theatrical equivalent of an orchestral tone poem.

— david lyman, Cincinnati.com, "CCM students set sail for Scotland to perform water-themed show with 'no plot whatsoever'," 5 July 2018
It was released on DVD in 2017, but in the odd reverse-order world of some indie films, it's not slated for a theatrical release until later this year.

— samuel axon, Ars Technica, "Sony tries to upload movie trailer to YouTube, posts entire movie instead," 3 July 2018
According to Loeb, the project is aiming for a theatrical release.

— refinery29.com, "What We Know About Stacey Dash's Controversial Film About Roe v. Wade," 3 July 2018
The film is slated for an Aug. 31 theatrical release, according to IMDB.

— chris morris, Fortune, "Sony Uploads Entire Film to YouTube Rather Than Its Trailer," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'theatrical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of theatrical

1558

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

theatrical Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of theatrical

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.