hammy

adjective

ham·​my ˈha-mē How to pronounce hammy (audio)
hammier; hammiest
: marked by exaggerated and usually self-conscious theatricality
hammily adverb
hamminess noun

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
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.
More emotional scenes, however, feel hammy and didactic, heavy on the telling over the showing (and that telling hinges on being damn blunt about the whole thing, to boot). Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 19 Feb. 2025 Every actor’s Hamlet is theirs and theirs alone, and Olivier’s is big and hammy and searing and often quite devastating. Will Leitch, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2024 What that translates to, though, is a lot of intentionally hammy line deliveries and overaffected actions. Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2025 Hemsworth is gleefully hammy as the OTT villain, while Taylor-Joy can do more eyes than seems humanly possible. Photo: Courtesy Of Mgm., refinery29.com, 23 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for hammy

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hammy was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Hammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammy. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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