corny

¹

[kawr-nee]

adjective

cornier, corniest 

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

corny

²

[kawr-nee]

adjective

cornier, corniest 

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

/ ˈkɔːnɪ /

adjective

1. trite or banal

2. sentimental or mawkish

3. abounding in corn

Other Word Forms

• cornily adverb
• corniness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of corny¹

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

Origin of corny²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of corny¹

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

Example Sentences

Don’t be embarrassed by talk of gratitude this weekend, or think it rote or corny.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Even though it’s cold and a little crunchy, I force a smile onto my face like I’m in a corny commercial.

Read more on Literature

“I was like, I’m 20 — it’s OK to be corny,” she says.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"A lot of relationship content is corny - I think people kind of just cringe now when they see it."

Read more on BBC

“I know that sounds corny. But standing out there, 25-mile visibility, beautiful lighthouse, beautiful scenery — it’s as close to God as you can get, in my mind.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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