theatrics
Americannoun
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(used with a singular verb) the art of staging plays and other stage performances.
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(used with a plural verb) exaggerated, artificial, or histrionic mannerisms, actions, or words.
noun
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the art of staging plays
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exaggerated mannerisms or displays of emotions
Etymology
Origin of theatrics
1800–10; theatr(ic) ( def. ) + -ics
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To Ms. Noonan, awarding honors in the chamber is vulgar theatrics.
The theatrics have certainly paid off for Chinese micro-dramas, which reportedly outperformed the box office in 2024.
From BBC
We all think we’re above theatrics.
It’s the second night of his five-night residency at Blue Note Los Angeles, in which he performs a carnivalesque staging of his life and career, leaping from Haitian rara to boom-bap, from reggae-inflected balladry to rock guitar theatrics.
From Los Angeles Times
But for all its theatrics, the State of the Union is part of the American tradition.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
