corny

1 of 2

adjective (1)

ˈkȯr-nē 

cornier; corniest

1

: mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental

told corny jokes

corny greeting cards

2

: of or relating to corn

3

archaic : tasting strongly of malt

cornily

ˈkȯr-nə-lē 

adverb

corniness

ˈkȯr-nē-nəs 

noun

corny

2 of 2

adjective (2)

cornier; corniest

: relating to or having corns on the feet

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• chocolate-box
• cloying
• drippy
• fruity
• gooey
• lovey-dovey
• maudlin
• mawkish
• mushy
• novelettish
• saccharine
• sappy
• schmaltzy
• sentimental
• sloppy
• slushy
• soppy
• soupy
• spoony
• spooney
• sticky
• sugarcoated
• sugary
• wet

Examples of corny in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

corny violin music during the movie's love scenes

the audience groaned as the emcee told one corny joke after another

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Why is everyone involved in this movie so determined to take such a corny premise seriously? —Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024

What might seem like a corny gimmick was actually a brilliant strategy. —Harry Kraemer, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

On its social media accounts, the new Enron also released a minute-long video – a corny montage of cities, rocket launches and a twirling ballerina accompanied with narration about a changing world. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 3 Dec. 2024

The corniest claims to Brat status heed the same urge as the people doing backflips at Clairo shows. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English, from corn corn entry 1 + -y -y entry 1

Adjective (2)

corn entry 3 + -y entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective (2)

1689, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

corny

adjective

ˈkȯr-nē

cornier; corniest

: tastelessly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple or sentimental

corny music

corny jokes

Medical Definition

corny

adjective

ˈkȯr-nē 

cornier; corniest

: relating to or having corns on the feet