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Glite Dictionary
ham actor

ham actor

1 6.8
A person who overacts in a loud, exaggerated way
  • noun
  • /hæm ˈæktər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : actor sobreactuado
  • Despite his popularity, many viewers considered him a ham actor for his over-the-top performances.

Examples

  • Than those ham actors you hire.

    Reckless Kelly (1993)

  • You're very good ham actors.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Everyone in the theater laughed when the ham actor exaggerated every emotion on stage.

  • The critics panned the movie, calling the lead a ham actor who couldn't convey genuine feelings.

Synonyms

ham
vsham actor
  • Offensive
17 8.3

A performer who acts in an exaggerated way to get attention

is similar but emphasizes poor subtlety and lack of realistic acting
hamfat
vsham actor
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who is not skilled at acting on stage

is about exaggerated unskilled performance rather than simply being an amateur

Antonyms

skilled
172 3.5

Having special training and ability to do a job well

subtle
48 5.8

Good at noticing small differences or hidden meanings

How Theatrical

ham actor
  • Offensive
1 6.8
mummer
1 9.9

Surface Forms

ham actor singular
ham actors plural

Morphology

ham + actor

The meaning is directly derived from combining 'ham' (an unskilled performer who overacts) with 'actor' (a performer); the phrase simply labels an actor who is a 'ham'. This is a straightforward compositional attributive structure that a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer.

Etymology

Ham actor probably comes from an old slang word 'hamfatter' for a poor 19th-century performer who would 'ham it up' by making big, loud actions to get laughs, and that word was later shortened to ham. So a ham actor today means someone who 'overacts' or performs in an obvious, exaggerated way.