drama

From Late Latin drāma, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”), from δράω (dráō, “to act, to take action, to achieve”). Doublet of dorama.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɑːmə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹɑmə/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (Canada, Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹæmə/
• (obsolete, nonstandard) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹeɪmə/^[1]
• Hyphenation: dra‧ma
• Rhymes: -ɑːmə

drama (countable and uncountable, plural dramas or dramata)

2. (countable) A composition, normally in prose, telling a story and intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue

   The author released her latest drama, which became a best-seller.

4. (countable) Such a work for television, radio or the cinema, usually one that is not a comedy.
6. (uncountable) Theatrical plays in general.
8. (uncountable, countable) A situation in real life that has the characteristics of such a theatrical play.

   After losing my job, having a car crash, and the big row with my neighbours, I don't need any more drama.

   • 2018 July 8, Euan McKirdy, Hilary Whiteman, “Thai cave rescue: Divers enter cave to free boys”, in edition.cnn.com‎^[2], CNN, retrieved 8 July 2018:

     Thais have been gripped by the two-week drama unfolding at the Tham Luang cave system, and took to social media Sunday as rescue efforts unfolded.

10. (slang, uncountable) Rumor, lying or exaggerated reaction to life or online events; melodrama; an angry dispute or scene; a situation made more complicated or worse than it should be; intrigue or spiteful interpersonal maneuvering.

• See also Thesaurus:drama

• → Arabic: دْرَامَا (drāmā)
  • Gulf Arabic: دْراما (drāma)
• → Cebuano: drama
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: ड्रामा (ḍrāmā)

  Urdu: ڈراما (ḍrāmā)

• → Japanese: ドラマ (dorama)
• → Korean: 드라마 (deurama)
• → Malay: drama
• → Punjabi: ਡ੍ਰਾਮਾ (ḍrāmā)

• Madar, damar

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈdɾa.mə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈdɾa.ma]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ama
• Hyphenation: dra‧ma

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”), from δράω (dráō, “to act, to take action, to achieve”).

drama m (plural drames)

1. drama (theatrical and media genre)
2. drama (theatrical plays in general)
3. drama (difficult situation)

• “drama”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

drama f (plural drames)

1. obsolete spelling of dracma

Borrowed from English drama, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”), from δράω (dráō, “to act, to take action, to achieve”).

• Hyphenation: dra‧ma

drama

1. a theatrical play; a skit
2. a radio drama
3. a soap opera, a TV show that is not a comedy
4. an act; a display of behavior meant to deceive
5. (derogatory) a show; mere display or pomp with no substance

drama

1. to be emotional or sentimental
2. to put on an act

For quotations using this term, see Citations:drama.

Borrowed from Latin drama.

• IPA^(key): [ˈdrama]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dra‧ma

drama n

1. drama (composition intended for actors)

• “drama”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “drama”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

From Late Latin drāma, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma).

drama n (singular definite dramaet, plural indefinite dramaer)

1. drama

• dramatiker
• dramatisk

• “drama” in Den Danske Ordbog

Borrowed from Late Latin drāma, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma).

• IPA^(key): /ˈdraː.maː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dra‧ma
• Rhymes: -aːmaː

drama n (plural drama's, diminutive dramaatje n)

1. drama (theatrical work; anything involving play acting)
2. something tragic, a tragedy

• dramaturg

• → Indonesian: drama

• IPA^(key): /ˈtraːma/
• Rhymes: -aːma

drama n (genitive singular drama, nominative plural drömu)

1. drama

From Dutch drama, from Late Latin drāma, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma). Doublet of dorama.

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈdrama/ [ˈdra.ma]
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: dra‧ma

drama (plural drama-drama)

1. drama:
   1. a composition, normally in prose, telling a story and intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue
   2. theatrical plays in general

      Synonyms: sandiwara, teater, tonil

2. (colloquial) tragedy, a disastrous event, especially one involving great loss of life or injury

   Synonym: tragedi

• “drama”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

• IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠɾˠamˠə/

drama m (genitive singular drama, nominative plural dramaí)

1. Cois Fharraige form of dráma

Borrowed from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈdraː.ma]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈdraː.ma]

drāma n (genitive drāmatis); third declension

1. drama, play

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

• → Belarusian: дра́ма (dráma)
• → Catalan: drama
• → Czech: drama
• → Dutch: drama
  • → Indonesian: drama
• → English: drama
  • → Arabic: دْرَامَا (drāmā)
    • Gulf Arabic: دْراما (drāma)
  • → Cebuano: drama
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: ड्रामा (ḍrāmā)

    Urdu: ڈراما (ḍrāmā)

  • → Japanese: ドラマ (dorama)
  • → Korean: 드라마 (deurama)
  • → Malay: drama
  • → Punjabi: ਡ੍ਰਾਮਾ (ḍrāmā)
• → Finnish: draama
• → French: drame
• → German: Drama
• → Hungarian: dráma
• → Icelandic: drama
• → Irish: dráma
• → Macedonian: драма (drama)
• → Norwegian: drama
• → Polish: dramat
• → Portuguese: drama
• → Romanian: dramă
• → Russian: дра́ма (dráma)
• → Serbo-Croatian: дра̏ма / drȁma
• → Spanish: drama
• → Swedish: drama
• → Ukrainian: дра́ма (dráma)
• → Welsh: drama
• → Yiddish: דראַמע (drame) (through some Romance language)

• “drama”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• "drama", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “drama”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “drama”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• drama in Ramminger, Johann (16 July 2016 (last accessed)), Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[3], pre-publication website, 2005-2016

Ultimately Latin drama. Doublet of dramm.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdraː.ma/
• Rhymes: -aːma

drama f

1. dramatic art

From Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”).

drama n (definite singular dramaet, indefinite plural drama or dramaer, definite plural dramaene)

1. a drama

• gisseldrama
• melodrama

• dramatikk

• “drama” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma).

• IPA^(key): /ˈdrɑːmɑ/

drama n (definite singular dramaet, indefinite plural drama, definite plural dramaa)

1. (countable or uncountable) a drama

• gisseldrama
• melodrama

• dramatikk

• “drama” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Medieval Latin dragma, from Classical Latin drachma, from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ). First attested in the 1409-1420.

drama f (plural dramas)

1. drachma
   • 1409, G. Pérez Barcala, editor, A tradución galega do "Liber de medicina equorum" de Joradanus Ruffus, Santiago de Compostela: USC, page 175:

     filla tres dramas de cravos girofes e tres onças de galingal e outro tanto de cardomomo e outro tanto de gengivre e outro tanto d’alcoravina e outro tanto de canela, e a semente do fuuncho en maior contia destas todas.

     take three drachmas of clove, and three ounces of galangal, and as much of cardamom, and as much of ginger, and as much of caraway, and as much of cinnamon, and seeds of fennel in the largest amount of them all

• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “drama”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Borrowed from French drame, from Latin drama, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma).^[1] First attested in 1728.^[2] Doublet of dramat.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdra.ma/
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: dra‧ma
• Homophone: Drama

drama f

1. (drama) drama (composition, normally in prose, telling a story and intended to be represented by actors impersonating the characters and speaking the dialogue)

   Synonym: dramat

2. (literary, theater) drama (type of play)

   Synonym: dramat

3. (education) roleplay (style of teaching where people act according to an assigned role)
4. (colloquial) drama (situation in real life that has the characteristics of such a theatrical play)

• drama in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• drama in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “drama”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “drama”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “drama”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 550

From Late Latin drāma, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”). Doublet of dorama.

• Rhymes: -ɐmɐ
• Hyphenation: dra‧ma

drama m (plural dramas)

1. drama (composition)
2. drama (theatrical play)
3. drama (dramatic situation), big deal, fuss, scene

   Para de fazer drama. ― Stop making a scene.

• “drama”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “drama”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “drama”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

• IPA^(key): /ˈt̪ɾamə/

drama m (genitive singular drama, plural dramaichean)

1. alternative form of dram

drama

1. genitive singular of dram

• IPA^(key): /drâma/
• Hyphenation: dra‧ma

drȁma f (Cyrillic spelling дра̏ма)

1. drama

Borrowed from Latin drama, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma). Cognate with English drama.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɾama/ [ˈd̪ɾa.ma]
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: dra‧ma

drama m (plural dramas)

1. drama (genre in art, film, theatre and literature or a work of said genre)
2. drama, tragedy, plight (quality of intense or high emotion or situation of enormous gravity that heightens such emotions)

   Synonym: tragedia

3. drama (theatre studies)

   Synonym: teatro

4. play (work of theatre)

   Synonym: obra

5. big deal, fuss, scene

   Synonyms: gran cosa, escándalo, escena

• “drama”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Borrowed from English drama.

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

drama class IX (plural drama class X)

1. drama

• Audio:

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drama n

1. a drama

• dramatiker
• dramatisk
• dramaturg
• dramaturgi

• drama in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• drama in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• drama in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• ramad

Borrowed from Spanish drama.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈdɾama/ [ˈd̪ɾaː.mɐ]
• Rhymes: -ama
• Syllabification: dra‧ma

drama (Baybayin spelling ᜇ᜔ᜇᜋ)

1. drama; stage play

   Synonym: dula

2. theatrics; histrionics

   Synonym: kaartehan

Borrowed from Russian дра́ма (dráma).

drama

1. drama (theatre)

Inflection of drama (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	drama
genitive sing.	draman
partitive sing.	dramad
partitive plur.	dramoid
	singular	plural
nominative	drama	dramad
accusative	draman	dramad
genitive	draman	dramoiden
partitive	dramad	dramoid
essive-instructive	draman	dramoin
translative	dramaks	dramoikš
inessive	dramas	dramoiš
elative	dramaspäi	dramoišpäi
illative	dramaha	dramoihe
adessive	dramal	dramoil
ablative	dramalpäi	dramoilpäi
allative	dramale	dramoile
abessive	dramata	dramoita
comitative	dramanke	dramoidenke
prolative	dramadme	dramoidme
approximative I	dramanno	dramoidenno
approximative II	dramannoks	dramoidennoks
egressive	dramannopäi	dramoidennopäi
terminative I	dramahasai	dramoihesai
terminative II	dramalesai	dramoilesai
terminative III	dramassai	—
additive I	dramahapäi	dramoihepäi
additive II	dramalepäi	dramoilepäi

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “драма”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[4], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

From Late Latin drāma, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”), from δράω (dráō, “to act, to take action, to achieve”).

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈdrama/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈdra(ː)ma/

• Audio:

  (file)

drama f (plural dramâu)

1. drama, play