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
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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
-
But Prairie Village is a sentimental spot for Bracco and his wife.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
None of the people close to them care about it because the majority of the people that are advising kids now are agents who are looking at it from a business perspective, or families that are not sentimental about any of this.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
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With no internet, their only entertainment comes from booze, ping-pong, rudimentary video games, and VHS tapes of hokey old game shows.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
21 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
This team is inconsistent, sloppy and soft.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Just six of those came in the second half and the Bruins took better care of the ball while running their offense more efficiently, but sloppy play and frustration have flared up despite the Bruins’ veteran leadership.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Davis and Head make strong impressions, masking the pedestrian, sometimes cornball dialogue.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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With a wry chuckle, McCartney chalks up these cornball elements of his TV specials and other outings to the perils of being surrounded by yes people.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Equal parts creature feature and Florida noir, Mermaid is sticky, sunburned, and defiantly strange.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
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Maurer imagines blending the fungi with Martian or lunar dirt; their sticky mycelia would cement it into an extraterrestrial equivalent of particle board.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Vista Verde Ranch Clark, Colorado Vista Verde Ranch is all about rustic luxury, and guests are considered part of the family.—
Julie Bielenberg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Upon arrival at the estate, my car was buzzed through the gate guarding a rustic yet modern haven straight out of a storybook.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Cattle—even corn-fed ones—tend to spend much of their life on pasture eating grass, which leads to a lot of methane burps, but growing that grass is not carbon intensive.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
8 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Corny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corny. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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