melodrama

== English == === Etymology === From French mélodrame, the second element refashioned by analogy with drama; ultimately from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “limb”, “member”, “song”, “tune”, “melody”) + δρᾶμα (drâma, “deed”, “theatrical act”). Compare melodrame. Cognate to German Melodram and Spanish melodrama. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈmɛləˌdɹɑːmə/ === Noun === melodrama (countable and uncountable, plural melodramas or melodramata) (archaic, uncountable) A kind of drama having a musical accompaniment to intensify the effect of certain scenes. (countable) A drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations, with a musical accompaniment only in parts which are especially thrilling or pathetic. (countable, opera) A passage in which the orchestra plays a somewhat descriptive accompaniment, while the actor speaks. (uncountable, figuratively, colloquial) Any situation or action which is blown out of proportion. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== == Catalan == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Northern, Central) [mə.luˈðɾa.mə] IPA(key): (Balearic) [mə.loˈðɾa.mə] IPA(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [me.loˈðɾa.ma] === Noun === melodrama m (plural melodrames) melodrama (a drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations) melodrama (any situation or action which is blown out of proportion) ==== Derived terms ==== melodramàtic ==== Related terms ==== drama === Further reading === “melodrama”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007 “melodrama”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026 “melodrama” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “melodrama”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan) == Norwegian Bokmål == === Etymology === From Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos) . === Noun === melodrama n (definite singular melodramaet, indefinite plural melodrama or melodramaer, definite singular melodramaene) a melodrama === References === “melodrama” in The Bokmål Dictionary. == Norwegian Nynorsk == === Etymology === From Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos) . === Noun === melodrama n (definite singular melodramaet, indefinite plural melodrama, definite plural melodramaa) a melodrama === References === “melodrama” in The Nynorsk Dictionary. == Portuguese == === Pronunciation === Rhymes: (Portugal) -ɐmɐ, (Brazil) -ɐ̃mɐ Hyphenation: me‧lo‧dra‧ma === Noun === melodrama m (plural melodramas) melodrama (romantic drama) (figurative) melodrama (any situation or action which is blown out of proportion) === Further reading === “melodrama”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “melodrama”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Serbo-Croatian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /mêlodraːma/ Hyphenation: me‧lo‧dra‧ma === Noun === mȅlodrāma f (Cyrillic spelling ме̏лодра̄ма) melodrama ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Etymology === From Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos) and Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /meloˈdɾama/ [me.loˈð̞ɾa.ma] Rhymes: -ama Syllabification: me‧lo‧dra‧ma === Noun === melodrama m (plural melodramas) melodrama ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Further reading ==== “melodrama”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025