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

With vivid and campy aesthetics, the retro style captures all the best of the '90s nostalgia feel. —Kylie Petty, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2025

The movie is campy, iconic and undeniably fun. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025

Both ads were campy, cute and according to the campaign, very effective. —Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025

The tone wobbles between genuine dread and a kind of earnest, slightly campy nostalgia reminiscent of Stand by Me. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

camp entry 3 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above