hammy

adjective

ham·my | \ ˈha-mē

How to pronounce hammy (audio)

\

hammier; hammiest

Definition of hammy

: marked by exaggerated and usually self-conscious theatricality

Other Words from hammy Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about hammy

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Synonyms & Antonyms for hammy

Synonyms

Antonyms

undramatic

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 Both bring some life to what could be a hammy parody and rote exercise in nostalgia. — Matthew Love, Vulture, "Saturday Night Live Recap: Maya Rudolph Channels Spring and Beyoncé’s Wet Head," 28 Mar. 2021 The so-so all-star adaptation of Noel Coward's play features an extraordinarily hammy Dan Stevens and plenty of cheese. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "What to stream this weekend: Hulu's 'Nomadland,' Netflix's 'I Care a Lot,' Disney+'s 'Flora & Ulysses'," 19 Feb. 2021 He’s way down the list of the league’s hammy actors, but a flop is a flop. — Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, "Don’t call Warriors loss vs. Clippers a moral victory: What we learned, good and bad," 7 Jan. 2021 The force of his personality—by turns hammy, angry, playful, contentious—dominated the conversation. — Chris Smith, Town & Country, "What It Really Takes to Be the Mayor of New York City," 2 Dec. 2020 Jones attempted to play through htender hammy but was unable to. — Tyler Dragon, The Enquirer, "Week 12 what we learned: Cincinnati Bengals' offensive woes costly in loss to Giants," 30 Nov. 2020 In the gleefully hammy hothouse thriller Run (on Hulu Nov. 20) the Ratched star turns up as another kind of cuckoo caretaker with a client base of one: her disabled teenage daughter, Chloe (bright newcomer Kiera Allen, who also uses a wheelchair). — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "Sarah Paulson is a mom unhinged in Hulu's high-camp thriller Run: Review," 18 Nov. 2020 As Kate McKinnon’s hammy psychic looked Adele’s character in the eye and spoke of a future inexplicably filled with adult coloring books, Adele appeared to be biting her tongue so as to not crack up. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "What Adele Was Doing on Saturday Night Live," 25 Oct. 2020 Bill Campbell's Ash is extra hammy as the obnoxious chainsaw-for-a-hand anti-hero battling demons while stuck in King Arthur’s court. — Bianca Rodriguez, Marie Claire, "35 Not-Too-Scary Halloween Movies for Scaredy Cats," 21 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hammy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near hammy

hammock netting

Statistics for hammy

Last Updated

9 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Hammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammy. Accessed 10 May. 2021.

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