as in plays
a written work in which the story is told through speech and action that is intended to be acted out on stage
wrote a police drama that really captured the speech of cops and criminals
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Recent Examples of dramas
Both dramas from Asia offer a panorama of a family rocked by unexpected circumstances and grappling with the mundane realities of an economic life mismatched to their goals.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2026
Films that rely on the slow burn of theatrical word of mouth – like mid-budget dramas, comedies and adult originals – lose their path to profitability.
—Joseph M. Singer, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
Casting genre films is different from casting prestige dramas, a casting director told me.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
The Lincoln Lawyer, one of our favorite legal dramas on Netflix, has racked up more than 170 million views across its first three seasons, according to the streamer.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Scott Printz, a producer and unit production manager who teamed with Shonda Rhimes on all 12 seasons of her ABC dramas Private Practice and How to Get Away With Murder, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
The memoir shows little interest in the gambler’s psychology or the keening dramas of the floor.
—Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
La Lucci was back on TV dramas.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
Unlike other period dramas like The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey, or Apple TV’s Edith Wharton drama The Buccaneers, Bridgerton has consistently shied away from any real acknowledgement of class.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2026
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2026
Films that rely on the slow burn of theatrical word of mouth – like mid-budget dramas, comedies and adult originals – lose their path to profitability.
—Joseph M. Singer, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
Casting genre films is different from casting prestige dramas, a casting director told me.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
The Lincoln Lawyer, one of our favorite legal dramas on Netflix, has racked up more than 170 million views across its first three seasons, according to the streamer.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
Scott Printz, a producer and unit production manager who teamed with Shonda Rhimes on all 12 seasons of her ABC dramas Private Practice and How to Get Away With Murder, has died.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 4 Feb. 2026
The memoir shows little interest in the gambler’s psychology or the keening dramas of the floor.
—Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
La Lucci was back on TV dramas.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
Unlike other period dramas like The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey, or Apple TV’s Edith Wharton drama The Buccaneers, Bridgerton has consistently shied away from any real acknowledgement of class.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dramas
Noun
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Every frame matters, with 11-man lineups inserted between plays.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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There were a couple of plays in particular where Hurley thought a foul should’ve been called against the Johnnies.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The performers in the touring casts of Broadway musicals often follow strikingly similar paths from high school to hit show — hours spent practicing show tunes with vocal coaches, years of dance classes, roles in a dozen amateur musical theater productions.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
All of Yorgos’ films, in some way or another, are comedies.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2026
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In creating Judge Travis, Barnes drew inspiration from classic TV comedies like The Larry Sanders Show and The Bernie Mac Show.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Hollywood streamers and studios seemingly can't resist such tales, which explains the boom of true crime documentaries and dramatizations over the past decade.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
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Yes, House of Guinness is based on the real-life history of the Guinness family, though, as is true of many dramatizations, certain liberties have been taken.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the contemporary artist side, the duo Libby Rosen contributed seven luminous textile works made of marbled quilted fabric.—
Grace Edquist,
Vogue,
7 Feb. 2026
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More than 30 of these works, created in a collaboration between people and bees, are in the exhibit.—
Myrna Petlicki,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dramas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dramas. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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