campy

adjective

ˈkam-pē 

campier; campiest

: in the style of camp : absurdly exaggerated, artificial, or affected in a usually humorous way

campy horror movies

campy humor

Witnessing their synchronized routine, he almost expects them to break into some campy chorus line from one of the seedier nightclubs.

—Margaret Atwood

He could modify his outbursts into what were sometimes hilariously campy performances.

—Robert Gray

campily

ˈkam-pə-lē 

adverb

The new film promises to be as campily outrageous as its predecessors.

—John Stark

… the Addams Family, the campily macabre clan created by the late cartoonist Charles Addams …

—Margot Dougherty

campiness

ˈkam-pē-nəs 

noun

… hoped to take Rocketeer to a much higher level of sophistication and avoid the campiness of some of the more recent comics-inspired films.

—Ron Magid

… a power-mad despot, played with exhilarating campiness by John Malkovich.

—Steven Rebello

Examples of campy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plus, Thandiwe Newton is giving the campy performance of her life as the ambitious Dame Vaako, and her attitude (and reptilian-looking gowns) really help sell the film’s goth spin on sci-fi and fantasy. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2024

While modern-day Halloween is filled with campy creepiness, that wasn’t always the case. —Christina Pérez, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2024

Critics on the Lido dinged Maria for being statelier and less campy than Larraín’s previous biopics Jackie and Spencer, though that could be a good thing for Jolie’s chances of receiving her first nomination since 2008’s Changeling. —Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2024

In the quaint New England town where Practical Magic is set, witches aren’t swathed in darkness like in The Craft, nor are they campy like in Hocus Pocus. —Ivana Rihter, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

camp entry 3 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above