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.
A little too close, as Nathan Lane, playing Vanity Fair writer Dominick Dunne, presents with a hammy wink that crushes any notion of subtext. Lucy Ford, TIME, 24 Sep. 2024 The brakes are crisp, the steering is tight but not hammy, and speed is your friend on the straightaway. Josh Max, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 The hammy bops that propelled the group to fame are on the way out, but Veronica is unaware and undaunted. Chloe Schama, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2024 The male characters, from the man behind the curtain (Blake Hammond in a hammy turn as the Wizard of Oz) to the party boy Fiyero, (Xavier McKinnon) never steal even a jot of attention from the bond between Elphaba and Glinda. Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 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

Dictionary Entries Near hammy

Cite this Entry

“Hammy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hammy. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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