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stagey

stagey

1 8.7
Not natural and overly dramatic, like acting in a play
  • adjective
  • /ˈsteɪdʒi/
translation icon : artificial
  • Her stagey gestures and exaggerated voice made it hard to take her seriously.

Examples

  • With generally faster cutting than in his other films, The Bank Dick is well-paced, less stagey, and more cinematic.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Could it be facile and stagey?

    Blog text (4)
  • Remember now, this is a stagey kind of thing.

  • Mark shot her a stagey grimace.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • He had an actor's voice, loud and stagey.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • "No—" My shout sounds small in all the stagey space.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • During the offertory, he began crying or weeping -- weeping, I guess, because there was something stagey about it.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Gaslight was hard and bright, and it must have made Martin's pictures look even more vivid and stagey than they had in daylight or candlelight.

  • There is a second way to calculate Ezili's wealth: not as a dream but delirium luxe, acted out with a stagey exuberance that mimics bourgeois consumption.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Because it is so stagey, the pose also provokes for Genet the shame of exposure: "Fear and then anger of having been afraid and reacting with fear in sight of a child's innocent eyes... made me grab the grip of my revolver and tear it from my holster."

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

dramatic
vsstagey
358 3.6

Very noticeable and meant to get attention, like a long pause or strong gesture

is similar but seen as fake and overly made for performance in daily life
theatrical
vsstagey
98 4.8

Related to the theatre or showing strong feeling in a dramatic way like an actor on stage

is exaggerated in real life and feels artificially performed
melodramatic
vsstagey
32 5.6

Showing feelings in a way that is too strong

is exaggerated but judged mainly as artificial show rather than pure emotion
campy
vsstagey
8 8.6

Exaggerated and theatrical on purpose to be funny in a silly way

is artificial too but is playful and meant as deliberate mockery rather than serious
overdramatic
vsstagey
7 4.9

Showing too much feeling about small things

is viewed as artificial theatricality rather than simple emotionality
stagy
vsstagey
1 8.1

Being too dramatic and not natural, like acting on a stage

has identical meaning but is the more common spelling
actressy
vsstagey
  • Informal
8.4

Showing loud, dramatic behaviour that seems fake

is exaggerated yet feels consciously artificial rather than natural
actorish
vsstagey
  • Informal
8.2

Showing strong, often fake feelings in a dramatic way to get attention

is more about artificiality than real performance ability

Antonyms

660 1.0

Normal and healthy for the body or mind

239 2.5

Being honest and showing what you really feel

2 4.8

Natural and sincere, without pretending

How Theatrical

melodramatic
32 5.6
stagey
1 8.7
affected
7.5
natural
660 1.0

Surface Forms

stagey positive

Morphology

stagey = stage (transparent) = stage + y

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'stage' with the productive adjectival suffix '-y', yielding the meaning 'theatrical' which learners can infer from 'stage'.

Etymology

Stagey comes from the common word stage plus the ending -y, so it literally means 'like the stage'. A helpful way to remember it is this: if something is stagey it feels artificial or too theatrical, as if someone is performing for an audience instead of being natural.