the·at·ri·cal
thē-ˈa-tri-kəl 
variants
or less commonly theatric
1
a
: of or relating to the theater or the presentation of plays
a theatrical costume
a theatrical troupe
a powerful theatrical performance
b
: of, relating to, or occurring in a movie theater
the theatrical release of a new film
"Give Me Liberty," the Milwaukee-made movie that received good notices at this year's Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival, will come home for its U.S. theatrical premiere, Aug. 22 at the Oriental Theatre.—
Chris Foran
Chris Foran2
: having qualities suggestive of a stage play or of an actor's performance : deliberately or exaggeratedly dramatic or emotional : histrionic
a theatrical gesture
a theatrical way of speaking
… pulls an enormous handkerchief from the inside breast pocket of his jacket and opens it with a theatrical flourish …—Robert Little
Robert Little1
2
British
: a professional actor
3
theatricals plural
: showy or extravagant gestures
Synonyms
Examples of theatrical in a Sentence
Adjective
a politician who has a highly theatrical manner of speaking
after stepping out of their hired limousine, the prom couple made a theatrical entrance in their evening clothes
Recent Examples on the WebPatrick Frater, Variety, 29 Apr. 2024
The group is the leading independent theatrical distributor in Germany-speaking Europe, with rights to such features as Knives Out, Hunger Games – The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes, and the John Wick franchise.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Apr. 2024
That’s the world Dunbar thrives in throughout his new EP Beep Beep Repeat — one populated by transient bass, four-on-the-floor drums and theatrical vocals.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 26 Apr. 2024
Dev Patel on rom-coms Fresh off the theatrical release of his feature directorial debut, revenge thriller Monkey Man, Dev Patel offered his take on a very different genre of film: romantic comedies.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The good news for commuters: There are no simultaneous concerts or theatrical events at the nearby Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Biscayne Boulevard.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
An ideal stop for jewelry aficionados, the boutique knows how to surprise with its theatrical displays that bring each individual piece to life.
—Selene Oliva, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
The couple surmised that Asencio-Cordero’s tattoos – one of Our Lady of Guadalupe, another of theatrical masks – suggested membership in the violent MS-13 street gang.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
The 2024 Maison Margiela show represented a call back to a once-great period of Galliano fame, as the collection displayed familiar techniques of staging, choreography, and theatrical makeup that typified his runway shows in the 1990s.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Caroline Brew, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024
Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie has taken the world by storm since its July 21 theatrical release, grossing over $1.38 billion at the global box office.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 4 Dec. 2023
Shift from the botanical to the theatrical at ASU Gammage, the city’s premier venue for the performing arts.
—Sunset Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
In a new strategic partnership that Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav helped shepherd, Cruise will team with movie studio chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy in jointly developing and producing original and franchise theatrical films starring the world-famous actor.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2024
And Chinese titles have come to dominate the country’s own theatrical and streaming markets to such a point that the long-standing import quotas may have fallen into abeyance.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Jan. 2024
However, Majors was quickly dropped by both his management and publicist teams in the wake of the accusations, and Searchlight Pictures indefinitely postponed Magazine Dreams’ December theatrical release.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Dec. 2023
Killers of the Flower Moon After its October theatrical release, Killers of the Flower Moon is now available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
—Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 18 Dec. 2023
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had previously warned the actors union that if a deal could not be reached by the end of this week, the networks would have to cancel certain TV shows and there would be further delays in 2024 summer theatrical releases.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 3 Nov. 2023
Adjective
That was the quietest theatrical weekend in China since the end of the country’s official anti-COVID policies in December 2022.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 29 Apr. 2024
The group is the leading independent theatrical distributor in Germany-speaking Europe, with rights to such features as Knives Out, Hunger Games – The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes, and the John Wick franchise.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Apr. 2024
That’s the world Dunbar thrives in throughout his new EP Beep Beep Repeat — one populated by transient bass, four-on-the-floor drums and theatrical vocals.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 26 Apr. 2024
Dev Patel on rom-coms Fresh off the theatrical release of his feature directorial debut, revenge thriller Monkey Man, Dev Patel offered his take on a very different genre of film: romantic comedies.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024
The good news for commuters: There are no simultaneous concerts or theatrical events at the nearby Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Biscayne Boulevard.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
An ideal stop for jewelry aficionados, the boutique knows how to surprise with its theatrical displays that bring each individual piece to life.
—Selene Oliva, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
The couple surmised that Asencio-Cordero’s tattoos – one of Our Lady of Guadalupe, another of theatrical masks – suggested membership in the violent MS-13 street gang.
—Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024
The 2024 Maison Margiela show represented a call back to a once-great period of Galliano fame, as the collection displayed familiar techniques of staging, choreography, and theatrical makeup that typified his runway shows in the 1990s.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Noun
The 2024 movie musical will stream on Paramount+ beginning March 5, following its January theatrical release.
—Caroline Brew, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024
Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie has taken the world by storm since its July 21 theatrical release, grossing over $1.38 billion at the global box office.
—Jessica Wang, EW.com, 4 Dec. 2023
Shift from the botanical to the theatrical at ASU Gammage, the city’s premier venue for the performing arts.
—Sunset Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
In a new strategic partnership that Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav helped shepherd, Cruise will team with movie studio chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy in jointly developing and producing original and franchise theatrical films starring the world-famous actor.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Jan. 2024
And Chinese titles have come to dominate the country’s own theatrical and streaming markets to such a point that the long-standing import quotas may have fallen into abeyance.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Jan. 2024
However, Majors was quickly dropped by both his management and publicist teams in the wake of the accusations, and Searchlight Pictures indefinitely postponed Magazine Dreams’ December theatrical release.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 18 Dec. 2023
Killers of the Flower Moon After its October theatrical release, Killers of the Flower Moon is now available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
—Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 18 Dec. 2023
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers had previously warned the actors union that if a deal could not be reached by the end of this week, the networks would have to cancel certain TV shows and there would be further delays in 2024 summer theatrical releases.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 3 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'theatrical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Theatrical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theatrical. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
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