/'melədrɑ:mə; `mɛlə,drɑmə/
n [U, C]
1 drama full of sensational events and exaggerated characters, often with a happy ending 情节剧（情节耸人听闻, 人物表现夸张, 结局多皆大欢喜）
*I love Victorian melodrama(s). 我喜爱维多利亚时代的情节剧.
2 (fig 比喻) events, behaviour, language, etc resembling
(a) drama of this kind 情节剧式的事件、行为、语言等
*all the melodrama of a major murder trial 一重大谋杀案审判中的情节剧式的场面
* We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama! 别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演!

n [U and C]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: French;Origin: mélodrame, from Greek melos ( MELODY) + French drame 'drama']
a story or play in which very exciting or terrible things happen, and in which the characters and the emotions they show seem too strong to be real
　He was behaving like a character in a Victorian melodrama.
a situation in which people become more angry or upset than is really necessary
　Come on, there's no need for all this melodrama.