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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Recent Examples of hokey
Flanagan's film leans into some of the hokey aspects of the story that Kubrick rejected in favor of a much colder sort of horror.
—
James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
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
Their fellow students are outraged by Clyde’s phony, hokey provocations against Jewish people and women, leaving Cartman feeling left out.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hokey
James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
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
Their fellow students are outraged by Clyde’s phony, hokey provocations against Jewish people and women, leaving Cartman feeling left out.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hokey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hokey
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
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Another scream for this bad, unabashedly cornball line.—
Evan Minsker,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Inside, guests are greeted by the cozy tavern, a cocktail of rustic Adirondack style and modern trappings—the tables adorned in their nightly best, expectantly awaiting patrons.—
Lauren Breedlove,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Jan. 2026
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The rustic farmhouse-style shelves are a hit with shoppers, who rave about their durability and strength.—
Cheryl Wagemann,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Humor… never says anything corny.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The special effects can look corny and the story overloads us with too many characters.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 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
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Never underestimate a corn-fed basic from Hockeytown.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Hokey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hokey. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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