as in hokey
tiresomely obvious and unsophisticated
the show's shamelessly cornball jokes appealed to small-town America
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hick
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country
a movie about a cornball making his way through a world of cynical sophisticates
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cornball
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
Another scream for this bad, unabashedly cornball line.
—Evan Minsker, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2024
Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2024
Trolling you cornballs for rooting against us is apart of the game.
—Jenna West, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cornball
Adjective
There’s a fair share of cornball dialogue in Cornelius Uliano and Bryan Schulz’s screenplay, as well as an excess of reassuring schmaltz at the fadeout.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024
Another scream for this bad, unabashedly cornball line.
—Evan Minsker, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2024
Noun
Unlike the lighthearted cornball of the Banks family that Carlton was in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the reboot reimagines the middle child with deeper issues than simply trying to be cool.
—Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2024
Trolling you cornballs for rooting against us is apart of the game.
—Jenna West, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cornball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cornball
Adjective
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Sixteen-year-old Mary is surrounded by the Silver Star Rangers — an all-male quintet decked out in hokey western shirts, neckerchiefs and cowboy hats.—
John Ficarra,
Washington Post,
8 May 2026
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Once tourist fodder, the musical has remained a byword for hokey commercialism.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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When Johnson was vice president and visiting Europe, there were reports filed by these British ambassadors in several countries that basically made fun of him as a hick.—
Wendy Naugle,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
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So a bunch of hicks from Topeka were left up to our own devices of going down to Robert Hall and finding something that might be kind of cool.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Located on the third largest reef in the world, Small Hope Bay Lodge is an unparalleled rustic eco-resort with all of the benefits of an extremely family-friendly all-inclusive.—
Chelsea Adams,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
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Even so, Meghan’s rustic version of the trend feels extra appropriate for farmers’ market hauls, beach days, and every summer activity in between.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Hints at the canonical Big Daddies of existential clown float through the air — Beckett would recognize this pair, and so would Jean Genet.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
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The comments section is filled with college football fans from all over the country calling the university's athletic department a bunch of clowns and hypocrites, but one Big 12 rival, the TCU Horned Frogs, put out a statement of their own in response to Tech's video.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Noun
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All those unsuspecting rubes with no idea what’s about to hit them.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
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And yet, to holier-than-thou doctors like young Ogilvie (Lucas Iverson), Howard is a cautionary tale: a glutton who can’t control himself, a rube who hasn’t heard of Ozempic, and a lazy slouch who can’t manage to drag himself to aqua aerobics.—
Marah Eakin,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Growing up in Brookville, OH, my family would call this kid corn-fed.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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The Lycra Company has corn-fed stretch.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Duke Slater, pal of Jim Nabors’ hayseed Gomer Pyle on the ’60s sitcom of that name, died of natural causes today at UCLA Hospital in Los Angeles.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
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Baby Billy’s first full-frontal scene is more a testament to Walton Goggins’s incredible hayseed bravado in the rule.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cornball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cornball. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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