hammier; hammiest
: marked by exaggerated and usually self-conscious theatricality
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
Crystal Skull is easily Spielberg’s laziest, sloppiest work — even the action sequences seem phoned-in — and it’s filled with unforgivable howlers: Shia LaBeouf’s limp attempt at being a bad boy, Cate Blanchett’s hammy villain, the goddamn fridge scene.
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Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
The tone is maddeningly ambiguous, somewhere between stupid and serious, hammy and apocalyptic—in other words, consummate Crews.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Austin’s lush mustache and hammy Southern drawl aren’t quite in sync with the tone; Rudd seems stuck in the Ferrell version of the film.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
But the banter is quick and Yelena and Alexei’s Russian accents are enjoyably hammy.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
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Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
The tone is maddeningly ambiguous, somewhere between stupid and serious, hammy and apocalyptic—in other words, consummate Crews.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Austin’s lush mustache and hammy Southern drawl aren’t quite in sync with the tone; Rudd seems stuck in the Ferrell version of the film.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
But the banter is quick and Yelena and Alexei’s Russian accents are enjoyably hammy.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 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 6 Jul. 2025.
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