as in rustical
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
Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2023
Soderbergh keeps cutting around the cornball potential of the material.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 7 Feb. 2023
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 July 2024
Ivan Reitman’s family comedy is nothing if not cornball.
—EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cornball
Adjective
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
Noun
These realist inflections belie a charmingly cornball story.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 July 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
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Without so many of the fears, complexes, and prejudices hick shaped us in the ‘90s and the ‘00s.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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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
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Surrounded by a bunch of big, hokey hooks from veterans and newcomers of the pop-country elite—Daris Rucker, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett—and an army of songwriters, BigX goes through the ups and downs of a broken heart.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
28 Aug. 2025
-
The actual reveal was hokey and preposterous.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The sheriff threatens to arrest Morticia on account of aiding and abetting a murderer, but Gomez points out that these clowns (the cops) abandoned Nevermore to protect Normies at Pilgrim World.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
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While the film wasn't a hit with critics or audiences, Gaga nonetheless had some eye-popping looks on the press tour, sporting bold red hair and clown-like attire to evoke the comic chaos of her character.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Farm is a rustic-chic fitness and wellness retreat in Castilian Springs, Tennessee, just 45 minutes from Nashville.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
8 Sep. 2025
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Top 5 Can’t Miss Book a lakefront stay at Wander the Resort, where sleek cottages and private beachfront access redefine rustic luxury.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As for partisan rubes like Senator Van Hollen, Maryland can do better.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2025
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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
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The one cool moment in this otherwise corny movie comes when the first asteroid cracks open and a gleaming three-legged fighting machine unfolds, laser firing.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
30 July 2025
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Warner intentionally seized opportunities to present family-friendly stories that respected and entertained Black people without being corny.—
Keyaira Boone,
Essence,
21 July 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Adjective
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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
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Never underestimate a corn-fed basic from Hockeytown.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Cornball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cornball. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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