variants
or stagey
1
as in theatrical
given to or marked by attention-getting behavior suggestive of stage acting
a motivational speaker whose stagy presentations motivate some listeners to head for the nearest exit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dramatic
having the general quality or effect of a stage performance
the president's and the prime minister's public display of mutual admiration was a little too stagy to be convincing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stagy
Here was elegance without exaggeration, tension and beauty without stagy excess.
—
James Shapiro, The New York Review of Books, 3 Jan. 2025
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.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Advertisement Gwen Grastorf’s embodiment of the scheming goody-goody Arsinoë is a tad stagy, but the character is still a fine foil for the quick-witted Célimène.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
The fact that the film was made inexpensively, though not a vice in and of itself, is not especially compensated for by Joe Collins’ cinematography, which renders Heffernan’s compositions flat, stagy and small.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
The stagy devices give the impression of notions that may have seemed like brainstorms in rehearsal but in performance feel overly artificial.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2023
Its weapon is maximalism: with velvet tuxedos, stagy service and a love for all the props and paraphernalia of midcentury American dining.
—Pete Wells, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2023
All good but drifting into stagy with a tad too much branding.
—Freep.com, 8 May 2020
But the overture is long, and the episode turns stagy and exaggerated.
—New York Times, 3 Mar. 2020
James Shapiro, The New York Review of Books, 3 Jan. 2025
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.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Advertisement Gwen Grastorf’s embodiment of the scheming goody-goody Arsinoë is a tad stagy, but the character is still a fine foil for the quick-witted Célimène.
—Celia Wren, Washington Post, 4 May 2023
The fact that the film was made inexpensively, though not a vice in and of itself, is not especially compensated for by Joe Collins’ cinematography, which renders Heffernan’s compositions flat, stagy and small.
—Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
The stagy devices give the impression of notions that may have seemed like brainstorms in rehearsal but in performance feel overly artificial.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2023
Its weapon is maximalism: with velvet tuxedos, stagy service and a love for all the props and paraphernalia of midcentury American dining.
—Pete Wells, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2023
All good but drifting into stagy with a tad too much branding.
—Freep.com, 8 May 2020
But the overture is long, and the episode turns stagy and exaggerated.
—New York Times, 3 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stagy
Adjective
-
Kendrick’s theatrical retelling of culture, race, and integrity in the pursuit of the American Dream we’ve been sold (and bought), offered some catharsis.—
Essence,
Essence,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Despite Schumer’s strong promise as a potential film personality, the dearth of comedy in theatrical releases has meant her talent mostly has been showcased on cable and streaming services.—
Tom Brueggemann,
IndieWire,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The site was no more than a few dozen feet from a dramatic drop to the rolling desert below, which leads through desert scrub to the foothills of Mount Cristo Rey.—
Reyes Mata III,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2025
-
Mexico City’s Art Week has begun, amid the dramatic backdrop of an incipient trade war, sparked by US President Donald Trump, as ARTnews’ Harrison Jacobs reports.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Audiard has referred to his script as a libretto, but Emilia Pérez stretches past operatic goofiness.—
Armond White,
National Review,
29 Jan. 2025
-
However, operatic sequences that occur in-game, featuring diegetic songs (meaning that both the player and the characters are supposed to hear them as songs), have become a more common occurrence.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Her over-the-top cockney accent speaking in melodramatic dialogue drives much of the comedy in her performance, which ultimately wears thin over the course of the film’s brief runtime.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
25 Jan. 2025
-
There’s a lot of melodramatic potential in this material — particularly one late-breaking narrative development that has felled many talented artists in the past.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
25 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near stagy
Cite this Entry
“Stagy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stagy. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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