Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The mushy score, absurdly pompous speeches, and Victorian staginess harmonize with Mr. Fraser’s conception of his role as the emoter in chief.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

There’s a certain staginess but, overall, the feel of an intricate literary machine situated squarely, in its characters and plot, on the fault lines of contemporary debates about technology.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2019

This doesn’t confuse anything: being continually reminded of the artifice of performance helps us forgive the play’s occasional staginess.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 28, 2019

A similar staginess undercuts Mr. MacKay’s grip on the initially grim-faced Mick; the actor has been allowed to turn several of the character’s longer speeches into breakneck verbal marathons calculated to earn applause.

From New York Times • May 6, 2016

He looks like a rock star, but he has none of a rock star’s swagger and braggadocio and staginess.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell