mélodrame

melodrama

noun meh-lo-DRAM Rare

Origin: from Greek melos (song) + drama (action, play)

Usage Note

Mélodrame originally denoted a theatrical genre combining spoken dialogue with musical accompaniment, popular in early 19th-century France. Today it refers to any excessively emotional narrative — in fiction, film, or real life — that is felt to be overwrought. The adjective mélodramatique and the informal clipping mélo are both common in film criticism.

Examples

"Ce film est un vrai mélodrame plein de rebondissements."

Natural Translation

This film is a real melodrama full of plot twists.

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