corny

¹

[ kawr-nee ]

adjective

, corn·i·er, corn·i·est.

1. of or abounding in corn.
2. Informal.
   1. old-fashioned, trite, or lacking in subtlety:

      corny jokes.

   2. mawkishly sentimental:

      a corny soap opera.

   Synonyms: stale, banal, hackneyed

corny

²

[ kawr-nee ]

adjective

, corn·i·er, corn·i·est.

1. pertaining to or affected with corns corn of the feet.

corny

/ ˈkɔːnɪ /

adjective

1. trite or banal
2. sentimental or mawkish
3. abounding in corn

Other Words From

• corni·ly adverb
• corni·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of corny¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1930–35 corny ¹fordef 2; Middle English; corn ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of corny²

First recorded in 1700–10; corn ² + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of corny¹

C16 (C20 in the sense rustic, banal): from corn ¹+ -y ¹

Example Sentences

The film is a bewitching spectacle, a classic holiday season event movie that brims with enough earnestness to keep even its fluffiest moments from becoming corny intellectual property slop.

From Salon

“What is it the Jesuits say? Service is love in action. I know it’s corny. But I’m going to love this community by being of service to it. So that’s my commitment.”

From Los Angeles Times

The most important thing to me right now is, I don’t wanna get corny but, believing in myself.

From Los Angeles Times

“As corny as it sounds, this is what that show did for me, was give me confidence to be myself.”

From Los Angeles Times

They’re defrocking the Mets down to their vagabond shoes that are longing to ... oh, forget it, one shouldn’t need to crib from a corny song to describe what is happening here.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• banal
• dull
• hackneyed
• kitschy
• mawkish
• melodramatic
• old-fashioned
• sentimental
• stale