overacted
Chewed the scenery
Overacted is the past tense of overact, meaning to perform with excessive dramatic intensity.
An actor who overacts exaggerates gestures, facial expressions, or vocal delivery beyond what the scene requires: The villain overacted so badly the audience laughed.
The criticism extends beyond theater to anyone being melodramatic: She overacted her surprise at the news.
Made larger than reality
- muggingRobbery with violence
- campyEntertainingly artificial and overblown
- over-the-topExcessively dramatic or extravagant
- showboatOstentatious attention-seeker
scenery-chewing · clownish · buffoonery · slapstick · caricature · shtick · gimmicky · flamboyant
Exaggeratedly emotional in behavior
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
- emotionalShowing strong feelings
- sentimentalExcessively emotional about memories
- tearjerkerEmotionally manipulative entertainment
sappy · schmaltzy · soap-opera · maudlin · weepy · florid · effusive · gushy
Made from timber
- stiffNot easily bent
- forcedMade to occur unwillingly
- unnaturalContrary to normal order
- artificialMade, not natural
contrived · mechanical · robotic · awkward · labored · affected · unconvincing · insincere
Showily excessive
- pretentiousFalsely grand or important
- attention-seekingCraving others' focus
- scene-stealingOutperforming others onstage
- grandstandingPerforming to impress onlookers
posturing · flashy · loud · excessive · embellished · ornate · gaudy · pompous
exaggerated
Made larger than reality
- muggingRobbery with violence
- campyEntertainingly artificial and overblown
- over-the-topExcessively dramatic or extravagant
showboat · scenery-chewing · clownish · buffoonery · slapstick · caricature · shtick · gimmicky · flamboyant · vaudevillian
histrionic
Exaggeratedly emotional in behavior
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
- emotionalShowing strong feelings
- sentimentalExcessively emotional about memories
tearjerker · sappy · schmaltzy · soap-opera · maudlin · weepy · florid · effusive · gushy · hyperbolic
wooden
Made from timber
artificial · contrived · mechanical · robotic · awkward · labored · affected · unconvincing · insincere · phony
ostentatious
Showily excessive
- pretentiousFalsely grand or important
- attention-seekingCraving others' focus
- scene-stealingOutperforming others onstage
grandstanding · posturing · flashy · loud · excessive · embellished · ornate · gaudy · pompous · self-indulgent
- actedportrayed, performed, pretended, mimicked, impersonated
- theatricaltheatrical, dramatic, melodramatic, histrionic, hammy
overactedunderacted
Performed with insufficient emotion
understated · restrained · subdued · subtle · muted
overactednaturalistic
Imitating actual appearance
realistic · authentic · believable · genuine · unaffected
- overactive bladderUrinary urgency condition
overact, overacting, overactive, overactivity, overaction, overacts