the·at·ri·cal
thē-ˈa-tri-kəl 
variants
or less commonly theatric
1
a
: of or relating to the theater or the presentation of plays
a theatrical costume
a theatrical troupe
a powerful theatrical performance
b
: of, relating to, or occurring in a movie theater
the theatrical release of a new film
"Give Me Liberty," the Milwaukee-made movie that received good notices at this year's Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, will come home for its U.S. theatrical premiere, Aug. 22 at the Oriental Theatre.—
Chris Foran
Chris Foran2
: having qualities suggestive of a stage play or of an actor's performance : deliberately or exaggeratedly dramatic or emotional : histrionic
a theatrical gesture
a theatrical way of speaking
… pulls an enormous handkerchief from the inside breast pocket of his jacket and opens it with a theatrical flourish …—Robert Little
Robert Little1
2
British
: a professional actor
3
theatricals plural
: showy or extravagant gestures
Examples of theatrical in a Sentence
Adjective
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
Noun
has been involved in amateur theatricals for most of his adult life
Recent Examples on the Web
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Variety understands that no Japanese film since nationwide tracking began in 2004 has crossed JPY2 billion while playing on fewer than 100 theaters during its theatrical window.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Erin Cunningham, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
The streamer will give this gripping and intense film — which is a cautionary letter about the nuclear stockpile across the world — a theatrical, qualifying play in theaters starting October 10.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for theatrical
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
And Netflix doesn’t do theatrical releases.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Variety understands that no Japanese film since nationwide tracking began in 2004 has crossed JPY2 billion while playing on fewer than 100 theaters during its theatrical window.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
Every piece—from the theatrical to the understated, from statement makers to little touches—is seen as a portal into Jacobs’s world.
—Erin Cunningham, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
The streamer will give this gripping and intense film — which is a cautionary letter about the nuclear stockpile across the world — a theatrical, qualifying play in theaters starting October 10.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for theatrical
Cite this Entry
“Theatrical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theatrical. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share