More exaggerated or overly theatrical in acting or performance; more prone to 'hamming it up.'
From hammy (possibly from ham actor, 19th-century theater slang where 'ham' meant an inferior or overly dramatic performer) + -er (comparative suffix). The exact origin of 'ham' in this context remains debated but may relate to amateur actors using ham fat for stage makeup.
The term 'ham actor' took off in the 1880s among theater critics as a way to mock actors who overacted, and surprisingly, 'hammy' became so popular that people began joking the ham in their makeup must have made them theatrical—creating a folk etymology that felt so right it stuck around!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.