1
as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
corny violin music during the movie's love scenes
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hokey
tiresomely obvious and unsophisticated
the audience groaned as the emcee told one corny joke after another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of corny
Kate Bosworth is a corny idiot.
—
Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
The film’s eccentric flourishes may sound corny, but the writer-directors Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer ground the premise in a deeply sincere sense of yearning.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corny
Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
The film’s eccentric flourishes may sound corny, but the writer-directors Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer ground the premise in a deeply sincere sense of yearning.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corny
Adjective
-
Kevin Hart got sentimental sending son Hendrix off to prom — even loaning him a watch for the evening.—
Lindy Segal,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
-
As the next generation of NFL stars showed up in style for football's big night, Jordyn Tyson laced up his older brother Jaylon Tyson's sneakers, which held a bit of their own sentimental sports history.—
Kelly McCarthy,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Somehow the 200-acre eco-theme park avoids being hokey and trite—the biologists and naturalists here take their work seriously.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Apr. 2026
-
What ultimately keeps the house from feeling hokey or trite is Glazer’s commitment to her all-encompassing taste.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But the Pistons were sloppy with the ball and careless overall in a 94-88 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night, falling behind 3-1 in their first-round Eastern Conference series.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The Wolves started out sloppy with nine first-quarter turnovers and finished with 25.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Generations of ski families flocked to his films every fall to get revved up for a new ski season and laugh at his cornball humor.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Davis and Head make strong impressions, masking the pedestrian, sometimes cornball dialogue.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The worry looming over the economy Earlier this month, Dimon had also warned in his shareholder letter that the war in Iran risks oil and commodity price shocks that could keep inflation sticky and push interest rates higher than the market now expects.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok has warned the combination of tariffs, sticky inflation, and slowing growth can create a stagflation-like setup, one that would be hostile to both markets and consumers.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Mountainaire, an eleven-person luxury cabin in Hampshire County along the North River, is the picture of rustic elegance; enjoy lavish meals at the French farm table, light fires in the outdoor fireplace, and snuggle into your vintage four-poster iron bed.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Seed Studio Landscape Design paired rustic wood fencing with light tile flooring and colorful landscaping to give this space an open and airy feel.—
Kristin Hohenadel,
The Spruce,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Lycra Company has corn-fed stretch.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
On Tuesday, Sasha De Sola, an old pro in the role, danced it with ravishing self-possession, hardly seeming to need the support of her consort Harrison James, who exuded the corn-fed charm of a linebacker while delivering cleanly polished grande pirouettes.—
Rachel Howard,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Corny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corny. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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