1
as in comedy
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2
as in sentimentality
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Recent Examples of melodrama
The film is described as a psychological melodrama with almost supernatural overtones, suspended between musical backstage, ghost story, and a toxic relationship between two brilliant women who know each other too well.
—
Maddalena Gomez, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Despite reams of dialogue that tends to be enigmatic if not downright opaque, the gothic melodrama is stretched too thin to have much grip.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
The film walks a tightrope of humor and pathos, having fun with the idea of the ‘disease of the week’ TV melodrama while never diminishing a serious illness.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Handling such weighty concepts, a less deft hand might have lapsed into melodrama.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melodrama
Maddalena Gomez, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026
Despite reams of dialogue that tends to be enigmatic if not downright opaque, the gothic melodrama is stretched too thin to have much grip.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
The film walks a tightrope of humor and pathos, having fun with the idea of the ‘disease of the week’ TV melodrama while never diminishing a serious illness.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Handling such weighty concepts, a less deft hand might have lapsed into melodrama.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for melodrama
Recent Examples of Synonyms for melodrama
Noun
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Colbert's comedy was political.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
19 May 2026
-
Part of the draw for local leaders and investors, per WSJ, is Bargatze’s family-friendly style of comedy and approachable outlook.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
There was no time for sentimentality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Rosenberg crafts these two characters with realistic resonance, though his film veers into sentimentality and some plot points are too coincidental to be entirely believable.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Diego Luna got his feet wet as a director with the promising 2011 debut, Abel, a slight but disarming tragicomedy that took imaginative shots at Mexican patriarchy and manhood.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
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Almodóvar’s latest is billed as a tragicomedy, starring Bárbara Lennie and Leonardo Sbaragli as writer-directors exploring autofiction.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
Noun
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While this gentler effort is unlikely to be similarly impactful, its witty humor and genuine emotionalism recall the best of Pixar, where its director worked as a story artist on such films as Wall-E and Incredibles 2.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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Arpino’s interest in popular culture, athletic technique, and unapologetic emotionalism has found a new audience in the post-Balanchine world.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And Malia is also achingly lonesome for her family life, with a sister about to get married and a doting father played, in this headache-inducingly twisty psychodrama’s most refreshing meta-twist, by Romanian director Radu Jude.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
18 May 2026
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Political 'psychodrama' Deutsche Bank analysts noted how Burnham partially rowed back some of last year's comments on the bond markets, highlighting his comment in February that they should not be ignored.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Noun
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The Paramount+ drama series follows a New York family that relocates to rural Montana after a family tragedy.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
21 May 2026
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That’s not to minimize the tragedies of the early 737 Max crashes, but to acknowledge that Boeing, airlines, and regulators took those events seriously and addressed the problems.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The photographer’s early years were spent with his Ukrainian mother and grandparents on a farm in central New Jersey, which exposed him to the emotionality of nature.—
Osman Can Yerebakan,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
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When that happens, its responses in content, tone, and emotionality will become virtually, if not totally, indistinguishable from those of another human being.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After the Mean Girls musical's opening night in 2018, Alice stepped out to celebrate her parents' brainchild.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
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Based on the Australian musical of the same name, The Deb premiered in Australia on April 9, and Sunrise Films will release it Stateside after the film relaunched its campaign in Cannes this year.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Melodrama.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/melodrama. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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