1
as in comedy
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2
as in sentimentality
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Recent Examples of melodrama
Dabis embraces the conventions of melodrama with sombre grace.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
Wuthering Heights was always envisioned as a kind of fantastical fever dream—a contemporary take on a ’50s soundstage melodrama that gleefully mixes historical references with glitzy modernity.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
This is how Lionsgate pitched Anniversary to audiences, as the sort of handwringing domestic melodrama that’s familiar enough to be comfortable and, for certain demographics, totally dismissable.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
Devoid of music or melodrama, this is slow cinema at its most viscerally rigorous and patient.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melodrama
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
Wuthering Heights was always envisioned as a kind of fantastical fever dream—a contemporary take on a ’50s soundstage melodrama that gleefully mixes historical references with glitzy modernity.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
This is how Lionsgate pitched Anniversary to audiences, as the sort of handwringing domestic melodrama that’s familiar enough to be comfortable and, for certain demographics, totally dismissable.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
Devoid of music or melodrama, this is slow cinema at its most viscerally rigorous and patient.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melodrama
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melodrama
Noun
-
Sahlins and Close were friends and the improv-sketch divide was never absolute in Chicago comedy circles.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Chelsea Green is perhaps the most entertaining star in all of WWE, but she’s been largely booked as a comedy character on the main roster.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As expected, there was precisely zero sentimentality from Quick, who was the Conn Smythe winner during the Kings’ first Stanley Cup title run in 2012 and their starting goalie for their second in 2014 as well.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
John, who plays Mickey’s father in the film, described watching Zelda and Toby inhabit such fraught roles without sentimentality.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Stoppard broke through in 1966 with his play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, an ambitious tragicomedy that reimagines the lives of two minor characters in Shakespare’s Hamlet, and which became a landmark moment in British theater.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
29 Nov. 2025
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The citizen in you laughs heartily as this film, a tragicomedy, skewers the hypocrisies and ironies of the repressed West.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
21 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
While this gentler effort is unlikely to be similarly impactful, its witty humor and genuine emotionalism recall the best of Pixar, where its director worked as a story artist on such films as Wall-E and Incredibles 2.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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Arpino’s interest in popular culture, athletic technique, and unapologetic emotionalism has found a new audience in the post-Balanchine world.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
How that psychodrama played out in the UK could have lessons for the US — not least because Cummings eventually succeeded in undermining Johnson’s political career, ultimately defenestrating the prime minister through relentless briefings and leaks.—
Jim Waterson,
semafor.com,
6 June 2025
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And there are many things that people can actually do to get this transcendence, to get away from the tedium of the psychodrama of your own life.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
America can't look away from celebrity tragedy Crime relating to celebrities and public figures always becomes a huge news story in the United States, all the way back (at least) to the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby in 1932.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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Maxim Naumov Figure skater Maxim Naumov will make his first appearance at the Olympics after a year marked by tragedy and an emotional comeback.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
So Mark initially came to me reporting symptoms of headache, memory loss, sleep difficulties, emotionality, and irritability.—
Scott Pelley,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
In the first season, that emotionality felt calibrated.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Inspired by Keys’ own upbringing in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, the coming-of-age musical follows Ali, a 17-year-old girl finding her voice through music, mentorship and community.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
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The audacious musical, from auteur Jacques Audiard, earned Saldaña prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film debuted, as well as a clean sweep of awards season accolades, including a SAG award, BAFTA award, Golden Globe and Critics Choice award.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melodrama.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melodrama. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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