stagy

or stage·y

[ stey-jee ]

adjective

, stag·i·er, stag·i·est.

1. of, relating to, or suggestive of the stage.
2. theatrical; unnatural.

stagy

/ ˈsteɪdʒɪ /

adjective

1. excessively theatrical or dramatic

Derived Forms

• ˈstaginess, noun
• ˈstagily, adverb

Other Words From

• stagi·ly adverb
• stagi·ness noun
• un·stagi·ly adverb
• un·stagi·ness noun
• un·stagy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stagy¹

First recorded in 1855–60; stage + -y ¹

Example Sentences

This framing device, which has the clunky air of a middlebrow play, provides a convenient if stagy way of breaking down his biography into manageable parts.

From Los Angeles Times

With the exception of James Gray’s more cinematically composed “Armageddon Time,” the movies have offered simple, stagy showcases for Hopkins, a lion in winter.

From Seattle Times

An ambitious period piece given an appropriately vintage look by the cinematographer Robert Patrick Stern, “Brooklyn 45” is overlong, repetitive and at times wearyingly stagy.

From New York Times

But these images are also stagy and contrived, as if his birds are players on a stage, dramatically illuminated in the glow of gaslight.

From Washington Post

Corden’s background in theater certainly helped him turn gimmicks into stagy events with lasting power.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arty
• exaggerated
• grandiose
• hollow
• overblown
• pompous
• showy
• stilted
• turgid