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histrionic

   Also found in: Medical, Wikipedia 0.07 sec.
his·tri·on·ic  (hstr-nk) also his·tri·on·i·cal (--kl)
adj.
1. Of or relating to actors or acting.
2. Excessively dramatic or emotional; affected.

[Late Latin histrinicus, from Latin histri, histrin-, actor, probably of Etruscan origin.]

histri·oni·cal·ly adv.

histrionic
Adjective
very dramatic and full of exaggerated emotion: histrionic bursts of invective
Noun
histrionics behaviour of this kind [Latin histrio actor]
histrionically adv
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adj.1.histrionic - characteristic of acting or a stage performance; often affected; "histrionic gestures"; "an attitude of melodramatic despair"; "a theatrical pose"
theatrical - suited to or characteristic of the stage or theater; "a theatrical pose"; "one of the most theatrical figures in public life"

histrionic
adjective 1. theatrical, affected, dramatic, forced, camp (informal) actorly, artificial, unnatural, melodramatic, actressy
plural noun 2. dramatics, scene, tantrums, performance, temperament, theatricality, staginess, hissy fit (informal)


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Now, in the first place, this censure attaches not to the poetic but to the histrionic art; for gesticulation may be equally overdone in epic recitation, as by Sosi-stratus, or in lyrical competition, as by Mnasitheus the Opuntian.
That no doubt is the real reason for the growth of quiet marriages; and the desire for them, I suspect, comes first from the man, for there are few women who at heart do not prefer the old histrionic display.
He thought the adieux of Montague and Ada Dyas as fine as anything he had ever seen Croisette and Bressant do in Paris, or Madge Robertson and Kendal in London; in its reticence, its dumb sorrow, it moved him more than the most famous histrionic outpourings.
 
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