Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Stagy or exaggerated character or style; conventional theatricality. Also stageyness.
  • noun A certain stage or state of an animal; by implication, that-stage when the animal is out of condition, as when a fur-bearing animal is shedding.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The state or quality of being stagy.
  • noun countable The result or product of being stagy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an artificial and mannered quality

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

stagy +‎ -ness

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Examples

  • We do not object to a certain amount of what we call "staginess" on the stage -- it is a part of its art; as the pigment is part of that of the painter.

    A Librarian's Open Shelf

  • That kind of staginess isn't found elsewhere in this production.

    NYT > Home Page

  • (The “Raid on Entebbe” conversation was amusing and felt real … until they shouted out for a public vote on whether it was a common reference: that staginess felt a bit Friends to me.)

    Josh Wolk's Pop Culture Club talks 'Bored to Death': Ted Danson rules all | EW.com

  • Despite the obvious dangers of staginess this feels solidly cinematic throughout, with writer-director J Blakeson making the most of limited resources and reaping the benefits of fat-free filming.

    Mark Kermode's DVD round-up

  • There's no staginess before and no hugging each other after.

    Antonio Meneses and Maria João Pires; La traviata – review

  • The protest that gave Protestantism its name was against display, against the staginess of the Catholic Church, and its aversion to theatrics applies equally to money: better to appear less wealthy than you are and keep putting in the hours.

    BREAKFAST WITH SOCRATES

  • The protest that gave Protestantism its name was against display, against the staginess of the Catholic Church, and its aversion to theatrics applies equally to money: better to appear less wealthy than you are and keep putting in the hours.

    BREAKFAST WITH SOCRATES

  • For all the hamminess, it has a kind of mad, melodramatic, mesmeric power, a thrilling sort of staginess – and of course, back in 1942, it was far from clear his threat would not be carried out.

    Mrs Miniver shares Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes feeling

  • Drudging through the goofy storyline in order to get to the action was a grueling experience, and though the stunts themselves were absolutely stunning, the badassery was lessened a tad by the distracting staginess of each successive feat.

    This Week in DVD & Blu-ray: Zombieland, The House of the Devil, Ong Bak 2, and More | /Film

  • On an iffier note, Jorgensen over-exaggerates the eccentric mannerisms of Moody, who's seen curling up childishly on his office couch in a fit of nerves one minute and working the phone feverishly the next: A slight staginess clings to this neurotic figure.

    'Golden Boy's' soft touch lands hard knocks

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