campy

adjective

ˈkam-pē 

campier; campiest

: in the style of camp : absurdly exaggerated, artificial, or affected in a usually humorous way

campy horror movies

campy humor

Witnessing their synchronized routine, he almost expects them to break into some campy chorus line from one of the seedier nightclubs.

—Margaret Atwood

He could modify his outbursts into what were sometimes hilariously campy performances.

—Robert Gray

campily

ˈkam-pə-lē 

adverb

The new film promises to be as campily outrageous as its predecessors.

—John Stark

… the Addams Family, the campily macabre clan created by the late cartoonist Charles Addams …

—Margot Dougherty

campiness

ˈkam-pē-nəs 

noun

… hoped to take Rocketeer to a much higher level of sophistication and avoid the campiness of some of the more recent comics-inspired films.

—Ron Magid

… a power-mad despot, played with exhilarating campiness by John Malkovich.

—Steven Rebello

Examples of campy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The show’s creator, Douglas Carter Beane, had a Broadway hit a few years prior with his remake of the campy ’80s roller-skating film Xanadu. —Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026

For the 2026 reimagining, Fennell worked with costume designer Jacqueline Durran to create dozens of costumes (Cathy alone, played by Margot Robbie, had 50) that were heavily inspired by the extravagant, unselfconscious and campy outfits of the mid-century. —Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026

Much like the doll's polished surface, the film's premise promises silly, campy fun with Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) becoming sentient and trying to revert to blissful ignorance in her Dreamhouse. —Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026

First with a campy animation going back in time and then a somehow even campier song-and-dance routine going forward, Impacciatore and the talented dancers brought the eras to life with kicky dance routines and hilariously exaggerated period costumes (the 1980s polyester ski suits were on point). —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

camp entry 3 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above