ACTORLY Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

actorly

adjective

Definition of actorly

as in theatrical

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for actorly

Adjective

Director Margaret Shigeko Starbuck leans into makeshift theatricality — flashlights, pool noodles, pocket umbrellas — while a nimble ensemble balances meta-theatrical humor with genuine feeling for Pericles and his beleaguered family.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
For all the pom poms about the comeback of theatrical, smaller films have a very hard time, bad reviews or good reviews.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of theatrical

Adjective

The same moral tact might apply, in less histrionic matters, to the ordinary deceptions and silences by which social life is made bearable.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
The seven-minute epic features a call and response between Tyler's murky lower register and Rory Dodd's clear falsetto, with Steinman's wall-of-sound production climbing to a histrionic chorus.

— Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR, 9 July 2026

Definition of histrionic

Adjective

However in more melodramatic fashion than the film’s title suggests, that past comes back to haunt him in the form of a young man named Miguel Vasque, son of Jorrison’s father’s gardener Carlos (Santiago Cabrera).

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Video games are one of the world’s most dominant storytelling mediums, yet the writing is often dismissed — not always unfairly — as melodramatic, overly serious and occasionally very stupid.

— Gene Park, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of melodramatic

Adjective

Chuba Hubbard was one of the league’s worst starting backs last season and is currently week-to-week (hammy).

— Jess Bryant, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
The writing — and its sometimes baffling aversion to the source material — is at the heart of the problem, but there’s plenty of blame to go around, from hammy acting to a cartoonish tone that smothers the whole affair.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of hammy

Adjective

The interplay between players and their coaches often generates some of the most dramatic viewing moments of a tennis match.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
But within this storytelling paradigm, Adnani imbues each scene with a dramatic wrath bubbling just beneath the surface.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of dramatic

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.

Browse Nearby Words

actorish

actorly

actors

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Actorly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actorly. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of actorly

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

hobnob

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes