— theatricality /thee a'tri kal"i tee/ , theatricalness , n. — theatrically , adv.
/thee a"tri keuhl/ , adj. Also, theatric .
1. of or pertaining to the theater or dramatic presentations: theatrical performances.
2. suggestive of the theater or of acting; artificial, pompous, spectacular, or extravagantly histrionic: a theatrical display of grief.
n.
3. theatricals ,
a. dramatic performances, now esp. as given by amateurs.
b. artificial or histrionic actions.
4. a professional actor: a family of renowned theatricals.
[ 1550-60; theatric ( us ) theatrikós, equiv. to theátr ( on ) THEATER + -ikos -IC + -AL 1 ]
Syn. 2. exaggerated, melodramatic, stagy, extravagant.