Meaning & use
dramatize
Last updated
to present something, especially a true story, as a play, film, or other dramatic work; or to make an event seem more exciting or serious than it is.
See it in a sentence
The documentary dramatized the rescue mission with reenacted scenes.
He tends to dramatize minor setbacks as though they were disasters.
A note on using this word
Can be neutral (adapting a true story for stage or screen) or critical (making something seem more dramatic than it really is).
Words with a similar meaning
theatricalizeexaggerate
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
downplayunderstate
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