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as in jokey
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Recent Examples of campy
The show’s creator, Douglas Carter Beane, had a Broadway hit a few years prior with his remake of the campy ’80s roller-skating film Xanadu.
—
Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
For the 2026 reimagining, Fennell worked with costume designer Jacqueline Durran to create dozens of costumes (Cathy alone, played by Margot Robbie, had 50) that were heavily inspired by the extravagant, unselfconscious and campy outfits of the mid-century.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
Much like the doll's polished surface, the film's premise promises silly, campy fun with Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) becoming sentient and trying to revert to blissful ignorance in her Dreamhouse.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
First with a campy animation going back in time and then a somehow even campier song-and-dance routine going forward, Impacciatore and the talented dancers brought the eras to life with kicky dance routines and hilariously exaggerated period costumes (the 1980s polyester ski suits were on point).
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for campy
Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
For the 2026 reimagining, Fennell worked with costume designer Jacqueline Durran to create dozens of costumes (Cathy alone, played by Margot Robbie, had 50) that were heavily inspired by the extravagant, unselfconscious and campy outfits of the mid-century.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
Much like the doll's polished surface, the film's premise promises silly, campy fun with Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) becoming sentient and trying to revert to blissful ignorance in her Dreamhouse.
—Ilana Gordon, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026
First with a campy animation going back in time and then a somehow even campier song-and-dance routine going forward, Impacciatore and the talented dancers brought the eras to life with kicky dance routines and hilariously exaggerated period costumes (the 1980s polyester ski suits were on point).
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for campy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for campy
Adjective
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The first phase of Olympic ice dance was once an aristocratic affair — ruffles and frills flying as athletes performed romantic tangos, foppish quick steps and Viennese waltzes with straight backs and exaggerated posture.—
Robert Samuels,
Washington Post,
9 Feb. 2026
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Speaking of styling tricks to steal, the foppish ties that almost looked like silk scarves or ribbons at the Yohji Yamamoto show would be a good alternative for women who want some kind of necktie but think a traditional men’s tie reads too costumey.—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Forty-seven has special significance there thanks to a jokey student project from the '60s, which attempted to prove that the number appears in nature more often than any other.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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Soccer nationalism has become largely carnivalesque— a giant costume party, a jokey, theatrical form of chauvinism.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The fashion icon made a playful reference to the film while presenting the award for best makeup and hairstyling alongside Hathaway.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
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The collection was still as sexy as ever though, with the playful print appearing on itty-bitty bikinis, barely-there blouses, and, as seen here in look 3, low-slung trousers.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What’s the sappy, milky stuff that comes out of specific leaves in Florida that would be on the characters’ skin?—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 2026
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The duet is unabashedly sappy, its lyrics full of period-perfect, flowery Medieval revivalism tropes.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The whimsical, unrefined aesthetic appeals to Gen Z readers nostalgic for Y2K collectibles.—
Maddie Connors,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
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Her gown had a strapless design, with a plunging neckline, and dozens of whimsical feathers accenting its column skirt.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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For the magazine’s seventy-fifth anniversary, in 2000, the dog-loving portraitist William Wegman dressed up one of his Weimaraners as Eustace Tilley, our dandyish mascot, originally drawn by Rea Irvin.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This part of the film is witty and almost believable.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
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There’s something about these witty, light trunk songs that feels gayer than the sturdy musicals that Rodgers and Hammerstein started writing.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Only on Industry can listening to one’s conscience come off as prissy and weak.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
23 Feb. 2026
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Despite its heavy premise, the movie also has absurdities, among them Conan O’Brien as a judgmental, prissy therapist.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Campy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/campy. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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