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English (US)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of dramatic in English

dramatic
adjective
us
/drəˈmæt̬.ɪk/ uk
/drəˈmæt.ɪk/

dramatic adjective (EXCITING)

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B2
very sudden or noticeable, or full of action and excitement:
a dramatic change/improvement
We watched scenes of the dramatic rescue on the news.
Synonyms
electrifying
exciting
exhilarating
gripping
thrilling
talking or behaving in a way that makes something seem much worse, more serious, more frightening, etc. than it really is:
"I'll never find another job!" "Don't be so dramatic! Of course you will!"
It may sound dramatic, but I felt like my life was over.
She burst into dramatic floods of tears.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Exciting and interesting
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

dramatic adjective (THEATER)

relating to plays and acting:
She bought me the complete dramatic works (= texts to be performed) of Brecht for my birthday.
the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Theater - general words
See more results »
(Definition of dramatic from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

dramatic | Intermediate English

dramatic
adjective
us
/drəˈmæt̬·ɪk/

dramatic adjective (RELATING TO THEATER)

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relating to plays and acting:
He’s as good in comedies as he is in dramatic roles.

dramatic adjective (EXCITING)

(of an event or situation) producing excitement and strong interest because unexpected, surprising, or dangerous:
In a dramatic rescue, 10 crewmen were lifted to a helicopter just minutes before their ship sank.
Dramatic also means sudden and showing a big change:
There has been a dramatic reduction in crime in New York City.
(Definition of dramatic from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of dramatic

dramatic
We love super heroes, the dramatic music that has brought them to life, and the vivid films that have made them legends.
From Gizmodo
Dramatic cuts in public spending for state flagship universities seem to be at odds with widespread public sentiment.
From The Atlantic
A second thing is it is a hugely dramatic event and a big event in my life and a huge event in her life.
From NPR
If they did, the result could be dramatic.
From Los Angeles Times
The dramatic uptick started early--the company's stock, which opened at $45, had more than doubled just after 7 a.m.
From CNET
The grips of sequestration are just now beginning to be felt and the effects are already quite dramatic.
From Huffington Post
This is a dramatic misunderstanding of what's actually happening.
From Huffington Post
After all, the modern field is still young, and it's always easier to get research published and publicized if a result is dramatic.
From Slate Magazine
Twist endings and dramatic reveals crafted for the screen often suffer on the page.
From Slate Magazine
For the most part, this isn't something dramatic you will notice overnight, but a gradual worsening of conditions over time.
From Slate Magazine
The dramatic news has provoked fears of instability in the nuclear-armed state.
From NBCNews.com
Turning such talk into money would require dramatic growth.
From Huffington Post
And yet anatomically and archeologically, there's nothing that really explains any dramatic change.
From NPR
But if it ever struck people as dramatic, it's lost it's power.
From Fast Company
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of dramatic?
 

Translations of dramatic

in Chinese (Traditional)
激動人心的, 驟然的, 戲劇性的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
激动人心的, 骤然的, 戏剧性的…
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in Spanish
dramático, emocionante, melodramático…
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in Portuguese
dramático, surpreendente [masculine-feminine], drástico/-ca [masculine-feminine]…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Telugu
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
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in Korean
in Italian
नाट्यमय…
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劇的な, 演劇の, 劇的（げきてき）な…
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ani, belirgin, çarpıcı…
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spectaculaire, dramatique, théâtral/-ale…
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dramàtic, emocionant…
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indrukwekkend, toneel-, dramatisch…
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மிகவும் திடீர் அல்லது கவனிக்கத்தக்கது, அல்லது செயல் மற்றும் உற்சாகம் நிறைந்தது…
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नाटकीय…
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નાટકીય, નાટકી…
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dramatisk, voldsom…
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dramatisk, drama-, teater-…
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seni drama, beremosi…
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dramatisch, Schauspiel-……
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dramatisk, teatralsk, iøynefallende…
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ڈرامائی, قابلِ ذکر انداز سے, جوش اور سرگرمی سے…
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вражаючий, ефектний, драматичний…
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నాటకీయమైన…
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নাটকীয়, খুব আকস্মিক বা লক্ষণীয়, বা কর্ম এবং উত্তেজনায় পূর্ণ…
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teatrální, živý, dramatický…
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dramatis, berbentuk drama, emosional…
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น่าทึ่ง, ที่เกี่ยวกับละคร, แสดงอารมณ์ความรู้สึกเกินจริง…
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gây ấn tượng mạnh, thuộc về kịch, gây xúc động…
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dramatyczny, widowiskowy, emocjonalny…
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극적인, 연극과 관련된…
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drammatico, sensazionale, teatrale…
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horror-struck

UK
/ˈhɒr.əˌstrʌk/
US
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extremely shocked and frightened

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