as in plays
a written work in which the story is told through speech and action that is intended to be acted out on stage
wrote a police drama that really captured the speech of cops and criminals
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Recent Examples of dramas
Even dramas depicting the city as an inferno of crime and decay added to its legend.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Ensemble-heavy dramas face vote-splitting risks, and medical dramas — even when critically acclaimed — have a mixed Emmy history.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
While the series’ linear ratings have tapered off, something pretty common for serialized broadcast dramas, Memory of a Killer has become a staple on Hulu, which releases new episodes next day, regularly raking in the streamer’s Daily Top 10.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
In a world of fractured attention spans, many public figures are accustomed to mining their personal dramas to stay at the top of their audience’s feeds.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
His dramas set domestic conflicts against the backdrop of societal systems that insidiously warp the playing field for their characters.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The new adaptation has to figure out how to update the screenplay to avoid the mostly exploitational way such relationships were treated in the dramas of the 1970s.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
In a situation with very few precedents in rock history, Schon and Cain continued to tour together in Journey in the middle of all their legal and personal dramas.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
Ensemble-heavy dramas face vote-splitting risks, and medical dramas — even when critically acclaimed — have a mixed Emmy history.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Apr. 2026
While the series’ linear ratings have tapered off, something pretty common for serialized broadcast dramas, Memory of a Killer has become a staple on Hulu, which releases new episodes next day, regularly raking in the streamer’s Daily Top 10.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
In a world of fractured attention spans, many public figures are accustomed to mining their personal dramas to stay at the top of their audience’s feeds.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
His dramas set domestic conflicts against the backdrop of societal systems that insidiously warp the playing field for their characters.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
The new adaptation has to figure out how to update the screenplay to avoid the mostly exploitational way such relationships were treated in the dramas of the 1970s.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
In a situation with very few precedents in rock history, Schon and Cain continued to tour together in Journey in the middle of all their legal and personal dramas.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dramas
Noun
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These plays, Towns says, are just as important, just as fulfilling to his game as putting 30 points or 20 rebounds on the board.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
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The coach believes he’s both gotten quicker, both in his skating and in his ability to think through plays.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Because San Diego is one of the biggest creators of new plays and musicals in the United States, the new musical and play categories were the highlights of the evening.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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The performers in the touring casts of Broadway musicals often follow strikingly similar paths from high school to hit show — hours spent practicing show tunes with vocal coaches, years of dance classes, roles in a dozen amateur musical theater productions.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In an effort to streamline eligibility, the TV Academy in 2015 implemented categorization based on length, with hourlong shows automatically submitted as dramas, half-hour as comedies.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2026
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Everyone always says comedies are the hardest to get made, that comedies are the hardest to get a season two.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Nestled between Yo’s recollections of childhood and early adulthood are establishing shots and dramatizations that, at first, can be hard to decipher as having been shot in real spaces or in Fitch’s meticulous 1/3rd scale models.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
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Alberdi explores the tale from Ale’s perspective through the use of dramatizations, with actress Ana Celeste Montalvo Peña portraying Ale, and Armando Espitia as Arturo.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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How scholars became aware of the Gimo archive, which includes nineteen works for mandolin, collected in Italy by the son of a Swedish iron manufacturer in 1762.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
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The exquisite works conceived by Taiwanese jeweler Cindy Chao for over two decades can trace their roots back two generations.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dramas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dramas. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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