1
as in theatrical
given to or marked by attention-getting behavior suggestive of stage acting
a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in theatric
having the general quality or effect of a stage performance
we never tired of his histrionic reenactment of how he found money under the floorboards of a house he was renovating
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Recent Examples of histrionic
Real Women takes a more tender, less histrionic approach.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Tang Ren’s histrionic, oftentimes scatological behavior is offset by Qin Feng’s almost superhuman intuition, and director Chen Sicheng has repeatedly doffed his cap to the BBC’s hugely successful series Sherlock, not least in the vivid visualisations of Holmes’ deductive reasoning.
—James Marsh, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
As a piece of political rhetoric, the word has become numbingly histrionic.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
This may sound like the setup for a histrionic sci-fi soap opera.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for histrionic
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Tang Ren’s histrionic, oftentimes scatological behavior is offset by Qin Feng’s almost superhuman intuition, and director Chen Sicheng has repeatedly doffed his cap to the BBC’s hugely successful series Sherlock, not least in the vivid visualisations of Holmes’ deductive reasoning.
—James Marsh, Deadline, 31 Jan. 2025
As a piece of political rhetoric, the word has become numbingly histrionic.
—Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025
This may sound like the setup for a histrionic sci-fi soap opera.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for histrionic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for histrionic
Adjective
-
The film was made available to buy and rent on digital platforms, like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home, on July 15, a month after its theatrical release.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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John Galliano brings an extraordinary sensitivity to storytelling, blending the past and present with such technical precision that each piece feels theatrical in itself.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her efforts saved the animal’s life and landed her in her hometown newspaper, The Mountain Eagle, which was the first to write about the dramatic rescue and resuscitation.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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The increase widens a stark property tax gap between Idaho’s two largest school districts — Boise and West Ada — and illustrates dramatic policy differences between the adjoining Treasure Valley districts.—
Kevin Richert,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Unbelievable violence happens to both a little girl and operatic supergroup The Three Tenors.—
William Earl,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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Dido’s wonderfully operatic dying curse on her former lover foreshadows the future wars between her people and the descendants of the treacherous Trojans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Histrionic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/histrionic. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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