cornball

[ kawrn-bawl ]

noun

1. popcorn rolled into a ball and flavored with molasses or caramel.
2. Informal.
   1. a person who indulges in clichés or sentimentality.
   2. a country bumpkin; hick.

adjective

1. Informal. corny ¹( def 2 ).

cornball

/ ˈkɔːnˌbɔːl /

noun

1. a person given to mawkish or unsophisticated behaviour

adjective

1. another word for corny

Word History and Origins

Origin of cornball¹

1835–45, Americanism; corn ¹ + ball ¹; cornball defs 2, 3 influenced by slang sense of corn. screwball, oddball

Word History and Origins

Origin of cornball¹

C20: from corn ball a sweet consisting of a ball of popcorn and molasses

Example Sentences

But the complaints about the current administration did sometimes come with a spoonful of sugar, or at least a cornball of humor.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• archetypal
• characteristic
• common
• customary
• ordinary
• prototypical
• stereotypic
• stock
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• usual