corny

¹

[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

²

[kawr-nee]

adjective

cornier, corniest 

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 Word Forms

• cornily adverb
• corniness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of corny¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1930–35 corny ¹ for def. 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

Ortega knows this reference is corny, but it’s also inescapably apt.

From Los Angeles Times

“It feels so corny, but truly, it has changed my life,” LeVasseur said, her voice breaking.

From Los Angeles Times

The phrase worked almost like those self-esteem cassette tapes I used to see in bookstore displays as a kid: corny, repetitive, weirdly powerful — a kind of culinary manifestation.

From Salon

Jokes followed him, along with scathing critics who dismissed him as a fleeting trend and his music as corny and repetitive.

From BBC

Cheering for such idealism used to feel corny; all the cool, caped crusaders had ethical kinks.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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