Meaning & use
hammy actor
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
An actor who performs in an exaggerated, overly dramatic way.
Grammar: Countable; plural is 'hammy actors'. Often used with 'a' or 'the'.
Patterns
- a hammy actor
- play a role as a hammy actor
- criticize a hammy actor
The director told the hammy actor to tone down his performance.
Critics called him a hammy actor who relied on cheap tricks.
She was accused of being a hammy actor in the serious drama.
Word forms
| plural | hammy actors |
|---|
Common combinations
- a hammy performance
- The play was ruined by a hammy performance from the lead.
- hammy acting
- The film's hammy acting made the audience laugh unintentionally.
- sound hammy
- His speech sounded hammy and insincere.
Synonyms and how they differ
- overactor
- A more neutral term for someone who overacts; 'hammy actor' is more informal and critical.
- scene-chewer
- A slang term for an actor who dominates a scene with exaggerated acting; similar but more vivid.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: hammy actor or ham actor?
hammy actor vs ham actor
'Ham actor' is a similar informal term, but 'hammy actor' uses the adjective 'hammy' to describe the style.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hammy actor' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Hammy actor' means an actor who overacts, so 'chewed the scenery with wild gestures' fits. The other options describe subtle or understated acting, which is the opposite of hammy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hammy actor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.