theatrical

1 of 2

adjective

the·​at·​ri·​cal thē-ˈa-tri-kəl 

variants or less commonly theatric

thē-ˈa-trik 

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

2

: 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

theatricalism

thē-ˈa-tri-kə-ˌli-zəm 

noun

theatricality

thē-ˌa-trə-ˈka-lə-tē 

noun

theatrically

thē-ˈa-tri-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

theatrical

2 of 2

noun

1

theatricals plural

a

: the performance of plays

b

: dramatics

2

British : a professional actor

3

theatricals plural : showy or extravagant gestures

Synonyms of theatrical

Adjective

• dramatic

Noun

• drama
• theater
• stage
• production
• entertainment
• theatrics
• dramatics

Choose the Right Synonym for 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.

a dramatic meeting of world leaders

theatrical implies a crude appeal through artificiality or exaggeration in gesture or vocal expression.

a theatrical oration

histrionic applies to tones, gestures, and motions and suggests a deliberate affectation or staginess.

a histrionic show of grief

melodramatic suggests an exaggerated emotionalism or an inappropriate theatricalism.

made a melodramatic plea

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

Adjective

The theatrical run will give fans an opportunity to see the franchise relaunched on the big screen as originally intended. — Selome Hailu, Variety, 15 July 2026

Call of Duty is locked and loaded for a theatrical release the summer of 2028. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026

Noun

The combined company will control more than 30% of big-budget theatricals for wide release, the lawsuit claimed, noting that the tentpole releases made up 88% of box office revenue over the last three years. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 July 2026

Fans can anticipate its subscription video on demand debut on Peacock around October 30, aligning with Universal's typical 18-week theatrical-to-SVOD schedule. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1558, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1706, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

theatrical

adjective

the·​at·​ri·​cal

thē-ˈa-tri-kəl

1

: of or relating to the theater

a theatrical costume

2

: marked by pretended or excessive emotion

a theatrical speech

theatrically

-k(ə-)lē

adverb