as in theatrical
given to or marked by attention-getting behavior suggestive of stage acting
a hammy singer whose overwrought renditions of love songs just beg listeners to cry
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Recent Examples of hammy
Every actor’s Hamlet is theirs and theirs alone, and Olivier’s is big and hammy and searing and often quite devastating.
—
Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
More emotional scenes, however, feel hammy and didactic, heavy on the telling over the showing (and that telling hinges on being damn blunt about the whole thing, to boot).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
Expressionless, Flagg pushes aside the hammy joke and pulls out a chair to sit at a nearby table.
—Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 11 Feb. 2025
Cohen’s interpretation of Regina George may have been a lot hammier than Rachel McAdams, but Chabert and Lohan had basically the exact same inflection in their voices as in the original.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hammy
Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
More emotional scenes, however, feel hammy and didactic, heavy on the telling over the showing (and that telling hinges on being damn blunt about the whole thing, to boot).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025
Expressionless, Flagg pushes aside the hammy joke and pulls out a chair to sit at a nearby table.
—Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 11 Feb. 2025
Cohen’s interpretation of Regina George may have been a lot hammier than Rachel McAdams, but Chabert and Lohan had basically the exact same inflection in their voices as in the original.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammy
Adjective
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The directors will have their first films fully financed (to a budget of 10 million Danish Krone, or $1.45 million), with a theatrical release guaranteed for Denmark.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2025
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The film, which is due to shoot later this year in Hungary, is being lined up for a U.S. theatrical release from Independent Film Company in 2026.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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After all, these playoffs have been remarkably exciting to watch, full of upsets and dramatic finishes.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
11 May 2025
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Then things took a dramatic turn Ivanka Trump was on a date night out in Miami Beach.—
Elainie Barraza,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammy. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
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