drama
- 1A story written to be performed by actors, on stage or on television, radio, or film, especially a serious one rather than a comedy.
The streaming service released a historical drama set during the war.
Critics praised the radio drama for its tense, atmospheric storytelling.
UsageOften after a word for its type: a police drama, a historical drama, a costume drama.
- 2Exaggerated emotional reactions, gossip, angry disputes, or spiteful maneuvering that make a situation more complicated than it needs to be.
Like turning a small disagreement into a stage performance everyone is forced to watch.
Every family gathering somehow ends in drama over old grievances.
He thrives on stirring up drama between his coworkers.
UsageCommon phrases: too much drama, stir up drama, no drama. Calling something drama can sound dismissive of people's feelings.
Similartrouble, fuss, histrionics, theatrics
Note
Slang with a verdict built in: calling something drama says the conflict is needless, overblown or deliberately stirred up, whether at a family gathering or online. That judgment separates it from real-life tension, where the stakes are taken seriously.
- 3Theatrical plays considered collectively as a form of literature and live performance.
He has loved drama since he first saw a play as a child.
The university's department of drama trains both actors and writers.
UsageNo article for the art: study drama, a drama class. With a, it means one play: write a drama.
Similartheater
- 4A real-life situation or chain of events that unfolds with the tension and emotion of a theatrical play.
The final minutes of the match were filled with drama.
Reporters captured every moment of drama as the verdict was read aloud.
UsageIts usual verb is unfold: the drama unfolded. Also common: high drama, a moment of drama.
Similarexcitement, suspense, tension, spectacle, turmoil
Note
News reports lean on this sense for real events that grip the public. Euan McKirdy and Hilary Whiteman's 2018 report on the Thai cave rescue speaks of "the two-week drama unfolding", and unfolding is its natural verb.
Practice
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Origin
Goes back to Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, "an act, a theatrical act, a play"), derived in turn from δράω (dráō, "to act, to take action, to achieve"), and reached English through Late Latin 'drāma'. 'Dorama' is a doublet of it.