Definitions for Drama
ˈdrɑ mə, ˈdræm ədra·ma

Princeton's WordNet(3.19 / 11 votes)Rate this definition:

1. play, drama, dramatic playnoun

   a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage

   "he wrote several plays but only one was produced on Broadway"

2. drama, dramatic eventnoun

   an episode that is turbulent or highly emotional

3. dramanoun

   the literary genre of works intended for the theater

4. dramanoun

   the quality of being arresting or highly emotional

Wiktionary(2.78 / 9 votes)Rate this definition:

1. dramanoun

   A composition, normally in prose, telling a story and intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue

2. dramanoun

   Such a work for television, radio or the cinema (usually one that is not a comedy)

3. dramanoun

   Theatrical plays in general

4. dramanoun

   A dramatic situation in real life

5. dramanoun

   Rumor, lying or exaggerated reaction to life events; melodrama; an angry dispute or scene; intrigue or spiteful interpersonal maneuvering.

6. Dramanoun

   A town in Greece.

7. Etymology: From δρᾶμα, from δράω

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. DRAMAnoun

   A poem accommodated to action; a poem in which the action is not related, but represented; and in which therefore such rules are to be observed as make the representation probable.

   Etymology: δϱαμα.

   Many rules of imitating nature Aristotle drew from , which he fitted to the drama; furnishing himself also with observations from the theatre, when it flourished under Eschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles. John Dryden, Æn. Dedicat.

Webster Dictionary(2.43 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Dramanoun

   a composition, in prose or poetry, accommodated to action, and intended to exhibit a picture of human life, or to depict a series of grave or humorous actions of more than ordinary interest, tending toward some striking result. It is commonly designed to be spoken and represented by actors on the stage

2. Dramanoun

   a series of real events invested with a dramatic unity and interest

3. Dramanoun

   dramatic composition and the literature pertaining to or illustrating it; dramatic literature

4. Etymology: [L. drama, Gr. dra^ma, fr. dra^n to do, act; cf. Lith. daryti.]

Freebase(4.08 / 13 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Drama

   Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action", which is derived from the verb meaning "to do" or "to act". The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a collective form of reception. The structure of dramatic texts, unlike other forms of literature, is directly influenced by this collaborative production and collective reception. The early modern tragedy Hamlet by Shakespeare and the classical Athenian tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles are among the masterpieces of the art of drama. A modern example is Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill. The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy. They are symbols of the ancient Greek Muses, Thalia and Melpomene. Thalia was the Muse of comedy, while Melpomene was the Muse of tragedy. Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been contrasted with the epic and the lyrical modes ever since Aristotle's Poetics —the earliest work of dramatic theory.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(3.00 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Drama

   dram′a, n. a story of human life and action represented by actors imitating the language, dress, &c. of the original characters: a composition intended to be represented on the stage: dramatic literature: theatrical entertainment: a series of deeply interesting events.—adjs. Dramatic, -al, belonging to the drama: appropriate to or in the form of a drama: with the force and vividness of the drama.—adv. Dramat′ically.—n. Dramat′icism.—adj. Dram′atīsable.—n. Dramatisā′tion, the act of dramatising: the dramatised version of a novel or story.—v.i. Dram′atīse, to compose in, or turn into, the form of a drama or play.—n. Dram′atist, a writer of plays.—Dram′atis persō′næ (-ē), the characters of a drama or play. [L.,—Gr. drama, dramatos—draein, to do.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Drama

   A composition in prose or verse presenting in dialogue or pantomime a story involving various characters, usually intended to be acted on a stage and to be regarded as a form of entertainment. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. drama

   Song lyrics by drama -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by drama on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Emotionality
   • Writing Style

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Drama' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2827

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Drama' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4544

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Drama' in Nouns Frequency: #1174

Anagrams for Drama »

1. damar

How to pronounce Drama?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Drama in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Drama in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Drama in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of Drama in a Sentence

1. Unknown Author:

   Negative people need DRAMA like oxygen. Stay positive, it will take their breath away.

2. Elaine Ardizzone:

   We did actually book a few clients who kept' the dream' cake by having us create enormous drama with faux cake tiers for display.

3. Flower A. Newhouse:

   Life's drama of incarnation consists of one's eventual discovery of their inherent destiny. We are a creation of the Supreme Spirit in whose seed of divinity, Godhood, like the Godhood of Jesus, shall come into fruition.

4. Gareth Neame:

   It's a return to these really beloved characters and seeing them in new sets of circumstances and how they will deal with those, and hopefully, a good mix of the drama, comedy, and romance that had been the mainstays of it all, downton Abbey.

5. John Updike:

   Life is like an overlong drama through which we sit being nagged by the vague memories of having read the reviews.

Popularity rank by frequency of use