melodrama

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.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛləˌdɹɑːmə/

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melodrama (countable and uncountable, plural melodramas or melodramata)

1. (archaic, uncountable) A kind of drama having a musical accompaniment to intensify the effect of certain scenes.
2. (countable) A drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations, with a musical accompaniment only in parts which are especially thrilling or pathetic. In opera, a passage in which the orchestra plays a somewhat descriptive accompaniment, while the actor speaks

   the melodrama in the grave digging scene of Beethoven's "Fidelio".

   • 1956, Delano Ames, chapter 9, in Crime out of Mind‎:

     Rudolf was the bold, bad Baron of traditional melodrama. Irene was young, as pretty as a picture, fresh from a music academy in England. He was the scion of an ancient noble family; she an orphan without money or friends.

3. (uncountable, figuratively, colloquial) Any situation or action which is blown out of proportion.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [mə.luˈðɾa.mə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [mə.loˈðɾa.mə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [me.loˈðɾa.ma]

melodrama m (plural melodrames)

1. melodrama (a drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations)
   • 2020 August 11, Mònica Planas Callol, “Secrets i prejudicis a l’americana [American-style secrets and prejudices]”, in Ara‎:

     Si necessiteu un bon melodrama familiar, d’aquells on s’intenten guardar les aparences però en què totes les generacions de protagonistes acaben caient en una espiral de secrets, mentides, retrets, llàgrimes i desesperació, la vostra sèrie és Little fires everywhere, a Amazon Prime Video.

     If you need a good family melodrama, one of those that tries to keep appearances but in which all generations of protagonists end up falling into a spiral of secrets, lies, reproach, tears, and desperation, then your show is Little Fires Everywhere, on Amazon Prime Video.

2. melodrama (any situation or action which is blown out of proportion)

• melodramàtic

• drama

• “melodrama” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “melodrama”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “melodrama” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “melodrama” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

From Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos) .

melodrama n (definite singular melodramaet, indefinite plural melodrama or melodramaer, definite singular melodramaene)

1. a melodrama

• “melodrama” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos) .

melodrama n (definite singular melodramaet, indefinite plural melodrama, definite plural melodramaa)

1. a melodrama

• “melodrama” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɐmɐ, (Brazil) -ɐ̃mɐ
• Hyphenation: me‧lo‧dra‧ma

melodrama m (plural melodramas)

1. melodrama (romantic drama)
2. (figurative) melodrama (any situation or action which is blown out of proportion)

• IPA^(key): /mêlodraːma/
• Hyphenation: me‧lo‧dra‧ma

mȅlodrāma f (Cyrillic spelling ме̏лодра̄ма)

1. melodrama

From Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos) and Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma).

• IPA^(key): /meloˈdɾama/ [me.loˈð̞ɾa.ma]
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: me‧lo‧dra‧ma

melodrama m (plural melodramas)

1. melodrama

• “melodrama”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014