hokey

[ hoh-kee ]

adjective

, hok·i·er, hok·i·est.

1. overly sentimental; mawkish:

   Two glasses of wine and he gets unbearably hokey; it's hard to believe he's a highly paid executive!

   Synonyms: mushy, goopy, cloying, melodramatic, maudlin, corny

2. obviously contrived, especially to win popular appeal or support; phony:

   The hokey stories of his impoverished childhood always surface at election time.

   Synonyms: spurious, sham, counterfeit, artificial, false, fake

hokey

/ ˈhəʊkɪ /

adjective

1. corny; sentimental
2. contrived; phoney

Other Words From

• hokey·ness hoki·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hokey¹

First recorded in 1945–50; hok(um) + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of hokey¹

C20: from hokum

Example Sentences

While it might feel hokey to call Spangler a feel-good American success story, it’s about as close to one as you can get in corporate America these days.

From Salon

Some people, it turns out, approach a hokey seasonal activity as they would an Olympic race: Speed is the goal.

From Los Angeles Times

But it was also a little bit hokey.

From Los Angeles Times

For those outside the athletic community, it may seem hokey and illusory.

From Salon

People buy decorative rocks or materials that look pretty in the store “but end up looking hokey around the pond because you don’t see those materials anywhere else in the yard,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times