histrionic
AdjectiveUS[his-tree-ah-nik]/ˌhɪstriˈɑnɪk/4 syllables
Synonyms:
melodramatic
Open English WordNet
Adjective (1)
- characteristic of acting or a stage performance; often affected“histrionic gestures”“an attitude of melodramatic despair”“a theatrical pose”Synonyms: melodramaticOpposite untheatricalSimilar theatrical
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
His′tri·on′ic, His′tri·on′ic·al adjective
Origin: L. histrionicus: cf. F. histrionique. See Histrion.
1. Of or relating to the stage or a stageplayer; befitting a theatre; theatrical.
2. Affectedly dramatic; insincerely emotional; — sometimes used in a bad sense. — His′wb-a2′>′tri·on′wb-a1′>′ic·al·ly, adverb
Tainted with false and histrionic feeling.— Thomas DeQuincey
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54