melodrama
UK/'melәu.drɑ:mә/US
TOEFLGREC2
Definitions
n.
A play, film, or story with exaggerated characters and sensational, emotional events.
情节剧；人物夸张、情节煽情而充满激烈情感的剧、电影或故事。
n.
Behavior or events marked by overdramatic, exaggerated emotion.
戏剧化、夸张的言行或事件；煽情、用力过猛的表现。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedmelo- (Greek melos, 'song, music') + drama (play) = a play set to music. Originally the music told the audience exactly how to feel at each moment. Because that emotional steering felt heavy-handed, melodrama came to mean any work — or behavior — with overblown, sentimental emotion.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The film is pure melodrama, full of tears and impossible coincidences.
- 2.
Victorian audiences loved a good melodrama with a villain and a hero.
- 3.
Can we discuss this calmly, without all the melodrama?