Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

melodrama

/ˈmɛləˌdɹɑːmə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.05 in modern English

Syllables: melo-dra-ma
IPA: /ˈmɛləˌdɹɑːmə/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A kind of drama having a musical accompaniment to intensify the effect of certain scenes.

Archaic; Uncountable

noun

A drama abounding in romantic sentiment and agonizing situations, with a musical accompaniment only in parts which are especially thrilling or pathetic.

Countable

noun

A passage in which the orchestra plays a somewhat descriptive accompaniment, while the actor speaks.

Countable

noun

Any situation or action which is blown out of proportion.

Colloquial; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The grave-digging scene in Beethoven's “Fidelio” has much melodrama."
"Rudolf was the bold, bad Baron of traditional melodrama. Irene was young, as pretty as a picture, fresh from a music academy in England. He was the scion of an ancient noble family; she an orphan without money or friends."

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.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: mélodrame, μέλος

Usage

Inflected Forms

melodramas (plural) melodramata (plural)

Derived Forms

melodramatic melodramatics melodramatist melodramatize melofarce

Questions

How do you pronounce melodrama?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɛləˌdɹɑːmə/.
What does melodrama mean?: A kind of drama having a musical accompaniment to intensify the effect of certain scenes.
Where does melodrama come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce melodrama

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