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

Produced by James Wan and directed by Rob Savage, the campy horror film revolves around a paranormal entity who takes on the appearance of a young girl’s mother and begins haunting their home. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

That’s right, the campy series based on May Cobb’s best-selling novel is almost back for season two, and Netflix has already confirmed season three is in the works. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026

Fog steals across the moor, and the campy burr of a Scottish bisexual resonates in your ears. — Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

The campy horror-comedy is co-directed by Bacon, 68, and Sedgwick, 61, and stars the longtime couple and co-directors alongside their children Sosie and Travis, 37. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

camp entry 3 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above