■ noun
1》 a sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events.
↘behaviour or events resembling ~.
2》 historical a play interspersed with songs and orchestral music accompanying the action.
Derivatives
~tist noun
~tize or ~tise verb
Origin
C19: from Fr. mélodrame , from Gk melos 'music' + Fr. drame 'drama'.