1
as in theatrical
given to or marked by attention-getting behavior suggestive of stage acting
a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in theatric
having the general quality or effect of a stage performance
we never tired of his histrionic reenactment of how he found money under the floorboards of a house he was renovating
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Recent Examples of histrionic
The most reliably entertaining are the dryly sardonic Yelena Belova (Pugh) and the excitable, histrionic Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (a showily outsized Harbour).
—
Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Tang Ren’s histrionic, oftentimes scatological behavior is offset by Qin Feng’s almost superhuman intuition, and director Chen Sicheng has repeatedly doffed his cap to the BBC’s hugely successful series Sherlock, not least in the vivid visualisations of Holmes’ deductive reasoning.
—James Marsh, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
As a piece of political rhetoric, the word has become numbingly histrionic.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
This may sound like the setup for a histrionic sci-fi soap opera.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for histrionic
Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Tang Ren’s histrionic, oftentimes scatological behavior is offset by Qin Feng’s almost superhuman intuition, and director Chen Sicheng has repeatedly doffed his cap to the BBC’s hugely successful series Sherlock, not least in the vivid visualisations of Holmes’ deductive reasoning.
—James Marsh, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
As a piece of political rhetoric, the word has become numbingly histrionic.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
This may sound like the setup for a histrionic sci-fi soap opera.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for histrionic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for histrionic
Adjective
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And Netflix doesn’t do theatrical releases.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
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Designed with an amalgamation of pure engineering and engineered for theatrical performance, the bridge literally breathes fire and water.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Premier League football in the 2000s could be dramatic and explosive, but what the nostalgia for that era ignores is the number of dour, sterile games there were, many of them settled by a goal from a set piece.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Playing the role of a manager to George Clooney’s movie star character in the film, critics have praised him for what is clearly been another step in his evolution as a dramatic actor.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti and Canadian rocker Bryan Adams played the venue, too.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
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This musical blends gospel and Motown with operatic stylings to illuminate the changing times of the Civil Rights era while examining social and familial issues still prevalent today.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Histrionic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/histrionic. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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