histrionic

CEFRC2

/hɪstɹiːˈɒnɪk/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Very emotional and dramatic in a way that seems false.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Excessively dramatic or emotional, especially with the intention to draw attention.

Examples

  • He became histrionic upon hearing the news.

  • No need to get all histrionic. You're not on a soap opera.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˌhɪs.triˈɑ.nɪk/

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Of or relating to actors or acting.

More examples

In context

  • [F]oppiſh airs / And hiſtrionic mumm'ry, that let down / The pulpit to the level of the ſtage, / Drops from the lips a diſregarded thing.

  • In the dance, the obsessive-compulsive keeps his mate endlessly frustrated. She, in turn, becomes more histrionic, and as she projects her emotional dirty part into him, he becomes more anal and compulsive.

  • A vicious circle may form in which the more rejected they feel the more histrionic they become, and the more histrionic they become the more rejected they feel.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Her blank behavior on stage made the audience laugh.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

Borrowed from Late Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting; scurrilous, shameful; wretched”), from Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting and the theatre”), from histriō (“actor, player”) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). By surface analysis, histrion + -ic.