cornball 1 of 2

as in rustical
tiresomely obvious and unsophisticated the show's shamelessly cornball jokes appealed to small-town America

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cornball

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cornball
Adjective
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
Noun
What if there’s a fry-at-home thing to make these cornballs with that you would get horribly burnt on? Denise Martin, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024 Ivan Reitman’s family comedy is nothing if not cornball. EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024 See All Example Sentences for cornball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cornball
Noun
  • Without so many of the fears, complexes, and prejudices hick shaped us in the ‘90s and the ‘00s.
    John Hopewell, Variety, 20 June 2025
  • Sorrentino may also be exorcising some conflicting feelings about his birthplace, which is portrayed as a vulgar, crude place populated by crooks and hicks and photographed like its paradise.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • War Horse Year: 2011 Runtime: 2h 26m Easily mocked — most notably in a clever Saturday Night Live sketch — this film is hokey and overly earnest yet still pretty much works, thanks to a committed British cast and Spielberg’s dogged mythmaking.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025
  • Composer Ludwig Göransson’s Delta blues score is hokey, with the soul of spending a day at a living history reenactment.
    Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • An evil clown turned serial killer who terrorizes a fictional New York City borough during Halloween and Christmas will join a maniacal lineup of murderers, mutants and monsters during this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 10 July 2025
  • White-stripe nails Circus-stripe nails Just like a striped Big Top tent, this circus set is complete with stars and clowns.
    Dominic Cadogan, Glamour, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • The large terrace is equipped with lovely sun beds and a rustic wooden dining table for al fresco meals.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 8 July 2025
  • If staying the weekend, check out the mix of rustic and modern accommodations at 7A Ranch or the peaceful Wimberley Inn.
    Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • As for partisan rubes like Senator Van Hollen, Maryland can do better.
    Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2025
  • There was no quintessential American, so Twain imagined him: a wily rube, cynical toward the same refinements of Europe that inspired awe in him.
    Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 5 June 2025
Adjective
  • Gunn’s approach is colorful, in both its palette and the costumes; proudly fantastical, with flying orbs, robots, portals, and giant monsters; and at times endearingly, intentionally corny (see: Krypto the super dog).
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
  • The execution on this is just the right amount of corny thanks to Alden Ehrenreich.
    Stacia Brown, Vulture, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • The movie depicts Nashville as a town full of hayseeds who are bamboozled by the fast-talking Reynolds.
    Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Feb. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • 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
  • Never underestimate a corn-fed basic from Hockeytown.
    Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Cornball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cornball. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

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