hammier; hammiest
: marked by exaggerated and usually self-conscious theatricality
Synonyms of hammy
Examples of hammy in a Sentence
a hammy singer whose overwrought renditions of love songs just beg listeners to cry
Recent Examples on the Web
Yes, the natural charisma is there, but gone are the hammy flourishes and over-the-top gags.
—
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
Snook is excellent at playing tremulous and overwhelming feeling without ever seeming hammy or phony, and Marissa’s raw emotion anchors All Her Fault in something real even as the plot reveals grow increasingly (and enjoyably) outrageous.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
The Omen is extremely hammy, with its clunky synthesized score and melodramatic shifts between cameras, but its point is nevertheless clear: None of this should have been allowed to happen.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The escalating, hysterical hijinks are grounded in convincing dramatic stakes, and only our comic heroes are allowed to be funny, as the monster actors dutifully honor the hammy seriousness of their characters.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hammy
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Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
Snook is excellent at playing tremulous and overwhelming feeling without ever seeming hammy or phony, and Marissa’s raw emotion anchors All Her Fault in something real even as the plot reveals grow increasingly (and enjoyably) outrageous.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
The Omen is extremely hammy, with its clunky synthesized score and melodramatic shifts between cameras, but its point is nevertheless clear: None of this should have been allowed to happen.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The escalating, hysterical hijinks are grounded in convincing dramatic stakes, and only our comic heroes are allowed to be funny, as the monster actors dutifully honor the hammy seriousness of their characters.
—Rory Doherty, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hammy
Cite this Entry
“Hammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammy. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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