corny
1 Americanadjective
adjective
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trite or banal
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sentimental or mawkish
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abounding in corn
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of corny1
First recorded in 1350–1400; 1930–35 corny 1 for def. 2; Middle English; corn 1 + -y 1
Origin of corny2
Explanation
If your Uncle Marvin has a habit of telling corny jokes, they probably make you groan every single time. Corny describes something that's either worn out and tiresome or overly sentimental — and sometimes both. It can be hard to talk about something emotional without becoming corny. Try describing love at first sight without becoming trite or stickily sentimental and you'll know first-hand how easily you can find yourself sounding corny. For years corny simply meant "full of corn," or "tasting of malt." Sometime in the 1930s it became popular slang meaning "appealing to country folk," who were also described at the time as corn-fed, because of their supposed connection to farms.
Vocabulary lists containing corny
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Corny folks tend to be honest and earnest in their aims, and the best don't care what people think.
From Salon • May 8, 2024
He found out his dad was nick-named Corny through the poem.
From BBC • Jan. 2, 2024
Children of the Corny: Kids who suffer through dad jokes.
From Washington Post • Jun. 30, 2022
Republican Senator John Corny and Democrat Senator Mark Warner wrote a letter to Biden to Tuesday calling for a waiver on the grounds of national security and broader cooperation.
From Reuters • Oct. 27, 2021
In this order they reached home, and Corny tumbled into his mother's arms, to be no more seen for some hours.
From Spinning-Wheel Stories by Alcott, Louisa May
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
