1
as in sentimental
appealing to the emotions in an obvious and tiresome way
corny violin music during the movie's love scenes
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hokey
tiresomely obvious and unsophisticated
the audience groaned as the emcee told one corny joke after another
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of corny
Kate Bosworth is a corny idiot.
—
Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
The film’s eccentric flourishes may sound corny, but the writer-directors Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer ground the premise in a deeply sincere sense of yearning.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corny
Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
The film’s eccentric flourishes may sound corny, but the writer-directors Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer ground the premise in a deeply sincere sense of yearning.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
The novel also suggests—mumblingly, without making eye contact, not wanting to be corny about it—that one’s own self becomes a little less hideous the more one attends to other selves.
—Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for corny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for corny
Adjective
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One of the newest bands on the Street Mob roster, the quartet has stood out for its smoother, more sentimental approach to música mexicana — and for the wildly likable onstage presence of singer and frontman Gustavo Raya-García.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
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Exceptions To My Closet Clean-Out Rule The only exceptions to my rule are extremely sentimental and/or dressy pieces.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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What ultimately keeps the house from feeling hokey or trite is Glazer’s commitment to her all-encompassing taste.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
With no internet, their only entertainment comes from booze, ping-pong, rudimentary video games, and VHS tapes of hokey old game shows.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
21 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Then, just to flub any chance for enjoying some dumb fun with a skilled cast hamming it up, the sloppy story grinds the all-too-predictable, all-too-lame whodunit to a halt, as well.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
18 Mar. 2026
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In other cases, victims have slammed the department for sloppy redactions that revealed their sensitive information.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Davis and Head make strong impressions, masking the pedestrian, sometimes cornball dialogue.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
With a wry chuckle, McCartney chalks up these cornball elements of his TV specials and other outings to the perils of being surrounded by yes people.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The formula isn’t sticky or tacky.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Back then, gaming gear meant a sticky controller with a frayed wire and a TV that hummed louder than the game itself.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Cut into individual pieces or break into rustic shards.—
Marianne Williams,
Southern Living,
14 Mar. 2026
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The main living room is a more formal space, crowned by a soaring tray ceiling, while the family room—paneled in pecky cypress—offers a slightly more rustic feel.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
12 Mar. 2026
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
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Never underestimate a corn-fed basic from Hockeytown.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Corny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/corny. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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