as in cornball
tiresomely obvious and unsophisticated
their father's sense of humor was hokey beyond belief and most people's endurance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hokey
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
After an awesomely hokey prologue that deprives Det.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
However, sometimes managers plan for hokey-cokey transfers or immediately reverse a decision due to regret.
—Holly Shand, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
So, what was the key to it not being hokey?
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hokey
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 21 Nov. 2025
After an awesomely hokey prologue that deprives Det.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
However, sometimes managers plan for hokey-cokey transfers or immediately reverse a decision due to regret.
—Holly Shand, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
So, what was the key to it not being hokey?
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hokey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hokey
Adjective
-
Generations of ski families flocked to his films every fall to get revved up for a new ski season and laugh at his cornball humor.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Davis and Head make strong impressions, masking the pedestrian, sometimes cornball dialogue.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This summertime enclave maintains its rustic charm with a population of only about 3,000 and almost a third of the land preserved by the Nature Conservancy.—
Kira Turnbull,
Travel + Leisure,
6 June 2026
-
Partial Gray Cabinets With White Tile Add myriad wood tones and textures to bring an otherwise modern gray-and-white kitchen into the homey, rustic realm.—
Lauren Jones,
The Spruce,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
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Among other posts, Pearce shares mollusk insights (paired with corny jokes) every Monday under the signature #MolluskMonday.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
Growing up in Brookville, OH, my family would call this kid corn-fed.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
-
The Lycra Company has corn-fed stretch.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hokey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hokey. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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