corny

1 of 3

adjective (1)

ˈkȯr-nē 

cornier; corniest

1

: mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental

told corny jokes

corny greeting cards

2

: of or relating to corn

3

archaic : tasting strongly of malt

cornily

ˈkȯr-nə-lē 

adverb

corniness

ˈkȯr-nē-nəs 

noun

corny

2 of 3

adjective (2)

cornier; corniest

: relating to or having corns on the feet

corniness

3 of 3

noun

corn·​i·​ness ˈkȯr-nē-nəs 

plural -es

: the quality or state of being corny

a musical revue marked by banality and corniness

Synonyms of corny

Adjective (1)

• sentimental
• sloppy
• sticky

Examples of corny in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

corny violin music during the movie's love scenes

the audience groaned as the emcee told one corny joke after another

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Yamal is most likely your favorite player’s favorite player to watch, to steal a somewhat corny adage. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 June 2026

Own the fact that this song is epically corny and sounds like ChatGPT vomited into a microphone. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026

Something this big and clearly thematic could have been corny and, well, cartoonish. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026

For one, the Frenchie vision is just corny and clumsy, and so is the idea of Kimiko harnessing the power of love to defeat the bad guy without succumbing to vengeful rage. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 20 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English, from corn corn entry 1 + -y -y entry 1

Adjective (2)

corn entry 3 + -y entry 1

Noun

corny + -ness

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective (2)

1689, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for corny

• horny
• thorny

Kids Definition

corny

adjective

ˈkȯr-nē

cornier; corniest

: tastelessly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple or sentimental

corny music

corny jokes

Medical Definition

corny

adjective

ˈkȯr-nē 

cornier; corniest

: relating to or having corns on the feet