hammy

adjective

ham·​my ˈha-mē How to pronounce hammy (audio)
hammier; hammiest
: marked by exaggerated and usually self-conscious theatricality
hammily adverb
hamminess noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Daniels is morose and whiny and Reynolds is hammy and over-the-top, which allows Stone to steal the movie, giving it its only modicum of zest and soul. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 23 July 2025 Maybe some scenes and interactions were right on the edge of scripted, and maybe Ozzy’s primal form was that of a hammy lover of the spotlight. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025 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. 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 See All Example Sentences for hammy

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hammy was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Hammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammy. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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