Definitions

dramatize

[dram-uh-tahyz, drah-muh-] / ˈdræm əˌtaɪz, ˈdrɑ mə- /

VERB

make a performance of

Synonyms

STRONGEST

amplify exaggerate overstate

STRONG

act burlesque enact execute overdo perform playact present produce show splash stage

WEAK

farcialize give color to ham it up lay it on make a production of melodramatize play on heartstrings play to gallery play up tragedize

Antonyms

STRONGEST

reduce

STRONG

abandon fail halt ignore neglect prevent refrain refuse stop veto

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And I think it was interesting to try and find levels to it and to have the audience come with you, but not dramatize or exaggerate an emotion.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

She bristles when she realizes some dentists are using AI images to upsell patients—deploying color-coded overlays to dramatize borderline findings and justify questionable treatments.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Sophocles’ “Antigone” and Euripides’ “Suppliant Women” dramatize tensions between personal morality, state power and democratic rights.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025

This sharply psychological work uses the two-character format to dramatize a dance of fractured identities.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2025

"Because I don't think we ought to dramatize our differences."

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Vocabulary lists containing dramatize

March: Book Two

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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ize

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-ize, List 2

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