melodramatising
Making things theatrical
Melodramatising is the British spelling of melodramatizing—making something seem more dramatic, emotional, or sensational than it actually is.
Someone who melodramatises a minor setback treats it like a catastrophe: Stop melodramatising—it's just a scratch.
The word suggests exaggeration for effect, whether conscious or habitual.
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
- embellishAdd decorative elements
- inflateFill with gas
- amplifyIncrease in strength
- overplayEmphasize excessively
overemphasize · overdraw · overdo · overstate · magnify · heighten · stretch · distort
Pity-evoking quality
- sentimentalityExcessive tender emotion
- weepyInclined to cry
- heartrendingCausing overwhelming grief
- maudlinExcessively tearful sentiment
lachrymose · anguish · emotive · heartache · tearjerker · poignant · overwrought · schmaltzy
Exaggeratedly emotional in behavior
- hammyExcessively theatrical in style
- campyEntertainingly artificial and overblown
- over-the-topExcessively dramatic or extravagant
- flamboyantStrikingly bold in style
showy · operatic · grandiose · bombastic · declamatory · posturing · gesticulating · scene-stealing
Exaggerated promotional fanfare
- tabloidSensationalist newspaper format
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- titillateMildly arouse or excite
gossip · sensationalism · clickbait · alarmist · exploitative · lurid · sordid · breathless
hyperbole
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
overplay · overemphasize · overdraw · overdo · overstate · magnify · heighten · stretch · distort · overreact
pathos
Pity-evoking quality
- sentimentalityExcessive tender emotion
- weepyInclined to cry
- heartrendingCausing overwhelming grief
maudlin · lachrymose · anguish · emotive · heartache · tearjerker · poignant · overwrought · schmaltzy · wallowing
histrionic
Exaggeratedly emotional in behavior
- hammyExcessively theatrical in style
- campyEntertainingly artificial and overblown
- over-the-topExcessively dramatic or extravagant
flamboyant · showy · operatic · grandiose · bombastic · declamatory · posturing · gesticulating · scene-stealing · diva
hype
Exaggerated promotional fanfare
- tabloidSensationalist newspaper format
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
titillate · gossip · sensationalism · clickbait · alarmist · exploitative · lurid · sordid · breathless · pearl-clutching
melodramatisingunderreacting
Insufficient emotional response
downplaying · understating · minimising · playing down · underplaying
drama, dramatic, dramas, melodrama, melodramatic, dramatist, dramatically, dramatization, dramatise