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melodramatize

verb

To make melodramatic.

Similar

chew the scenery ham ham it up overact tear a cat

Scrabble 27

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Meanings

verbmelodramatize (third-person singular simple present melodramatizes, present participle melodramatizing, simple past and past participle melodramatized)

present singular third person melodramatizes · participle present melodramatizing · participle past melodramatized · past melodramatized

transitiveTo make melodramatic.
It’s tempting to compare Abe Foxman with Al Sharpton, another portly, bellicose, melodramatizing defender of ethnic ramparts.
2007 January 14, James Traub, “Does Abe Foxman Have an Anti-Anti-Semite Problem?”, in New York Times
Synonyms: chew the scenery, ham, ham it up, overact, tear a cat

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo make melodramatic.

Similar

chew the scenery ham ham it up overact tear a cat

Also see

chew the scenery ham ham it up overact tear a cat

Origin

Blend of melodrama + dramatize.

Full word history & related roots →

Cite this entry

APA

melodramatize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melodramatize

MLA

“melodramatize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melodramatize. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “melodramatize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/melodramatize.

Source: melodramatize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.