English

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Etymology

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From melodramatic +‎ -ness.

Noun

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melodramaticness (uncountable)

  1. The quality of being melodramatic.
    • 1889 July 12, Macon, “Macon’s Melange. The Big Fight As He Saw It. He Tells of Some By-Play at the Ring-Side. []”, in The Cincinnati Enquirer, volume XLVII, number 195, Cincinnati, Oh., published 14 July 1889, page 11, column 6:
      A feature of the fight was the melodramaticness of the Champion of Champions. [John L.] Sullivan was intensely theatric at times. On several occasions, when the crowd gave vent to its displeasure at [Jake] Kilrain’s method of fighting, the big fellow would half turn toward it, and, raising his right arm aloft, would still the cries by a deprecating wave of his hand.
    • 1956 November 1, John O’Ren, “The Spillway”, in The Sun, volume 239, number 145, Baltimore, Md., page 20:
      It might be argued that the massiveness of the arrows on the Israel-Egypt maps, and the melodramaticness of some of the words used in some of the accompanying news stories, really imparted a rhetorically true impression of what the action might portend. That would be a kind of an argument: a poor kind.
    • 1986 winter, Johann N. Schmidt, Ästhetik des Melodramas: Studien zu einem Genre des populären Theaters in England des 19. Jahrhunderts (Britannica et Americana; Folge 3, Bd. 7) (in German), Heidelberg: C. Winter, →ISBN, page 17:
      Hier aber versagt Hamiltons Bezug auf eine “melodramaticness of life”.
      Here, however, Hamilton’s reference to a “melodramaticness of life” fails.
    • 1994 February 21, JAMES ROSCOE, “SPOILERS!! CP PENSACOLA INFO!”, in alt.music.rush (Usenet):
      I might criticize the fact that he didn't write any tracks himself, (which by judgement makes it hard for what he sings to be sincere) and I might also criticise his fairly extreme melodramaticness (if that really is a word - sorry) considering he didn't write that song.
    • 2000 January 16, Norma, “Emailing again..Hard to Speak”, in alt.support.diet.low-fat (Usenet):
      Let you in on a little secret I wasn't a supporter of either of you until your melodramaticness (best way to put it) has started to get old.
    • 2000 August 30, Toonhead, “English-speaking peoples - not grumpy”, in alt.usage.english (Usenet):
      > that it seems the Germans are a grumpy lot because of their language. / Ahh.. my life makes sense now. I am Norwegian, and we have the same vowels here, although our language is a tad less military sounding. So that's what's causing the ol' Scandinavian melancholy, Bergman, Munch and all that. I'm sure you also can find phonetic explanations for the even more pervasive Russian melancholy, the Arab and Israeli aggressiveness, the Malaysian mellowness, the American bubblegumness, the Italian melodramaticness, etc etc. Interesting!
    • 2001 March 7, BillParcellsFan, “2001 Oscars”, in rec.arts.movies.current-films (Usenet):
      I can already imagine critics snickering at it for Michael Bay's unsubtle & over melodramaticness.
    • 2008, Jack Mearns, chapter 30, in Caliphornia, New York, N.Y., Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, Inc., →ISBN, page 137:
      “Ever since I got to Los Angeles,” Shah said, “you’ve been bent on humiliating me. At every turn, you try to show me up. Well, I am taking a stand. This is the last time you make me look bad.” Shah’s face suddenly grew very calm. “From now on, we are at war.” / Ali had to stop himself from laughing at Shah’s melodramaticness… over such a minor thing.
    • 2008 September 4, CeCe Brooks, “Cosmo entertains both sexes alike”, in Old Gold & Black, volume 92, number 3, Winston-Salem, N.C.: Wake Forest University, page B9:
      This is when it occurred to me: what would my life be like without Cosmo? Ignore my melodramaticness and notice that most girls and, I’m sure, a fair number of guys (even if they don’t admit it) read Cosmo for about any reason they can possibly find.