as in theatrical
given to or marked by attention-getting behavior suggestive of stage acting
a hammy singer whose overwrought renditions of love songs just beg listeners to cry
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hammy
Austin’s lush mustache and hammy Southern drawl aren’t quite in sync with the tone; Rudd seems stuck in the Ferrell version of the film.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
But the banter is quick and Yelena and Alexei’s Russian accents are enjoyably hammy.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
There’s just enough harrowing sorrow, eye-popping oddity and acting — whether good or hammy, there’s undeniably a lot of it — to make for a transfixing watch.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
There’s nothing hammy or camp about the way the senior actors suddenly develop a predatory glean in the eye, inevitably preceding something awful coming out of their mouths.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hammy
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
But the banter is quick and Yelena and Alexei’s Russian accents are enjoyably hammy.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
There’s just enough harrowing sorrow, eye-popping oddity and acting — whether good or hammy, there’s undeniably a lot of it — to make for a transfixing watch.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 19 Mar. 2025
There’s nothing hammy or camp about the way the senior actors suddenly develop a predatory glean in the eye, inevitably preceding something awful coming out of their mouths.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hammy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hammy
Adjective
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Discovery in the second quarter from A Minecraft Movie to Sinners with theatrical revenue up 38% as the company prepares to separate into two.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
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This helped offset a decline in Motion Pictures revenue, which fell by $175 million year-on-year, driven in part by a softer theatrical slate.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The series also touches on the controversial, dramatic weight loss of Rachel Frederickson, the winner of season 15, who dropped down to 105 pounds from 260 pounds.—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
15 Aug. 2025
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Often, they’re just used as an excuse to bring back dead characters (or, in the case of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, to bring back old actors as new characters), which robs any current story of dramatic stakes.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hammy. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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