campy
Americanadjective
adjective
-
effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc
-
relating to or considered characteristic of homosexuals
-
consciously artificial, exaggerated, vulgar, or mannered; self-parodying, esp when in dubious taste
Other Word Forms
- campily adverb
- campiness noun
Etymology
Origin of campy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Already familiar to fans of “The Haunting of Hill House,” the actor shows off range in the campy horror-comedy “Forbidden Fruits,’ produced by Diablo Cody.
From Los Angeles Times
"I love Doctor Who, but Torchwood was something else. It was quirky, it was campy, it was just a lot of fun," she said.
From BBC
Besson always manages to get his actors on the same page he is, and both Jones and Bleu match the director’s campy operatic tone in their melodramatic performances.
From Los Angeles Times
It would be ignorant to dismiss how critical this film is for the mid-budget movie’s longevity just because it also happens to be extremely campy.
From Salon
When Mr. Cameron’s Na’vi growl and bare their teeth at one another, they come across as campy and catty critters—“Real Housewives of Pandora.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
