campy

adjective

Definition of campynext
1
as in foppish

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in jokey

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of campy Gucci’s Qixi campaign was inspired by the campy theatricality of online microdramas, now a billion-dollar business. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 28 July 2026 The vampire saved the show from imminent cancelation, prompting a spike in ratings and a new direction away from a moody Jane Eyre-like gothic romance style to outright supernatural (if unintentionally campy) horror. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 18 July 2026 The actor has a great sense of humor about his one-off performance as the Caped Crusader in Batman & Robin, a notorious flop that has since become something of a campy millennial touchstone. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026 Snow sings about getting her princess groove back, butts heads with her Evil Queen stepmother (a campy Gal Gadot) and gets a little help from her short new friends. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for campy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for campy
  1. foppish
  2. jokey
  3. sappy
  4. playful
  5. dandyish
  6. whimsical
  7. prissy
  8. witty
Adjective
  • Most of the players immediately adopt exaggerated foppish courtier characters, complete with hoity-toity accents and hyperbolic graciousness.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of foppish
Adjective
  • The film is chock-full of nods and references and jokey Looney Tunes Easter eggs.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Downward Dog also distinguished itself from dozens of broad, jokey, try-hard broadcast comedies with its more laid-back, gentle but never cloying tone.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of jokey
Adjective
  • The bicentennial was the moment of nostalgic gluttony that topped them all, with its reenactment of battles, its old-fashioned sailing ships, and its outpouring of sappy patriotic products printed with the magic numerals 76.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • The announcement may come as a shock for country fans who have followed the couple through their sappy podcast appearances and gushy acceptance speeches.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
Definition of sappy
Adjective
  • Classic tees for effortless layering, elegant slips for summer’s heat, statement skirts for a touch of drama, and playful outerwear for the season ahead.
    — Minty Mellon, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
  • This flash of color feels like a playful wink—there’s something just a little Wes Anderson about it.
    — Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of playful
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of dandyish
Adjective
  • Leu Gardens invites visitors for an enchanting evening of fairy festivities in a whimsical celebration at Orlando’s 50-acre botanical oasis.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The image is whimsical, belying their instinct to flee the harsh world outside that tent, and through it, the audience gets to understand their psyche and innermost thoughts.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of whimsical
Adjective
  • The composer shows himself a cartoonish James Bond-type, battling with his prissy critics, while also dallying with his seductive wife, who is represented in opulent violin solos.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
  • As Berenger’s prissy friend Gene, the character who transforms the most during the course of the play, Phillip Taratula changes in both body and soul.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of prissy
Adjective
  • If so, Smoczynska’s restless, vigorously witty imagination feels proudly unsuited to that vision.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Jane Schoenbrun’s latest movie, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, is shocking, emotional, provocative, numbing, warm, witty, and surreal.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of witty

Browse Nearby Words

campuses
campy
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Cite this Entry

“Campy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/campy. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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