Melodrama
//ˈmɛləˌdɹɑːmə// noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A kind of drama having a musical accompaniment to intensify the effect of certain scenes. archaic, uncountable
- 2 an extravagant comedy in which action is more salient than characterization wordnet
- 3 A drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations, with a musical accompaniment only in parts which are especially thrilling or pathetic. countable
- 4 A passage in which the orchestra plays a somewhat descriptive accompaniment, while the actor speaks. countable
"The grave-digging scene in Beethoven's “Fidelio” has much melodrama."
- 5 Any situation or action which is blown out of proportion. colloquial, figuratively, uncountable
Example
More examples"Love is a comedy in France, a tragedy in England, an opera in Italy, and a melodrama in Germany."
Etymology
From French mélodrame, the second element refashioned by analogy with drama; ultimately from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “limb”, “member”, “song”, “tune”, “melody”) + δρᾶμα (drâma, “deed”, “theatrical act”). Compare melodrame. Cognate to German Melodram and Spanish melodrama.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.