histrionic

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Overly dramatic or emotional, especially to get attention.

   Her histrionic reaction to the bad news embarrassed everyone.

2. 2
   adj

   Relating to actors or acting.

   He had real histrionic talent and dominated every scene.

Borrowed from Late Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting; scurrilous, shameful; wretched”), from Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting and the theatre”), from histriō (“actor, player”) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). By surface analysis, histrion + -ic.

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