cornball

1 of 2

noun

corn·​ball ˈkȯrn-ˌbȯl How to pronounce cornball (audio)
: an unsophisticated person
also : something corny

cornball

2 of 2

adjective

: corny entry 1 sense 1
cornball humor

Examples of cornball in a Sentence

Noun a movie about a cornball making his way through a world of cynical sophisticates Adjective a cornball musical about farmers a cornball sense of humor
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Ivan Reitman’s family comedy is nothing if not cornball. EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, customers grew to know him for his hospitable eccentricity and his cheerful cornball ads. oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023 There were times when life on the Slip must have felt like the kind of cornball bio-pic in which someone famous pops up every thirty seconds. Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2023 The movie is built around an interview with the legendary 91-year-old actor, still vigorous and voluble, with a seize-the-day cornball glow to him. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Mar. 2023 Cautionary tale folks: yesterday’s cornball could grow up to become tomorrow’s superstar. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 4 Mar. 2023 But none quite account for the return business this movie has done—the way people keep going back for another taste of its cornball rapture. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 30 Dec. 2022 But then, Cameron’s cutting-edge technophilia has always been married to, and complemented by, an unapologetic cornball classicism. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022 High-octane action, including a wickedly complex scene shot around the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, makes up for the slightly cornball script. K. Thor Jensen, PCMAG, 8 June 2022
Adjective
That’s the exact word thrown at Dan by his wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), and their two sullen teenagers Nina (Zoe Colletti) and Kyle (Van Crosby), all of whom regard his dull job, cornball personality and comfy homebody routine with some degree of affectionate contempt. Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Dec. 2023 Magic acts and cornball humor remained staples. Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2023 Soderbergh keeps cutting around the cornball potential of the material. A.a. Dowd, Chron, 7 Feb. 2023 Seemingly the only non-conservative included in the bit was Shri Thanedar, a Democrat and state representative from Michigan, who appeared in a cornball commercial featuring people demonstrating mind-bendingly bad acting. oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2022 Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago,’ or ‘The Return of Kwango’ — play like an affectionate sendup of cornball heroics. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 16 Feb. 2022 But while audiences may delight in the cornball chaos of, say, Sharknado, portraying recent real-world disasters through schlock is a trickier proposition. Kate Knibbs, Wired, 25 Dec. 2020 Characters like Anna May Wong get reduced to single notes of inspiration, their personal lives never really dramatized by a show with too much time for Jack's cornball infidelity. Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Apr. 2020 Hollywood establishment figures don’t get sufficient credit for their humanitarian screen efforts that are easily scoffed at as cornball. Armond White, National Review, 23 Oct. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cornball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1949, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cornball was circa 1949

Dictionary Entries Near cornball

Cite this Entry

“Cornball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cornball. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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