corny

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈkɔrni/ UK /ˈkɔːni/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
trite, mawkishly sentimental, or unsophisticatedly humorous

The film's ending was so corny that everyone groaned.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · trite, mawkishly... trite hackneyed mawkish banal cheesy sentimental hokey

Opposites

original fresh sophisticated subtle

Word family

Derived forms cornilycorniness

Related forms corn

Etymology

From 'corn' plus '-y'. The slang sense 'trite, old-fashioned' arose in 1930s American jazz usage, perhaps from the notion of rustic, rural ('corn-fed') unsophistication.

corn Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# corny

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˈkɔrni
**IPA (UK):** ˈkɔːni

## Meanings
1. trite, mawkishly sentimental, or unsophisticatedly humorous

## Examples
- The film's ending was so corny that everyone groaned.

## Synonyms
- trite
- hackneyed
- mawkish
- banal
- cheesy
- sentimental
- hokey

## Antonyms
- original
- fresh
- sophisticated
- subtle

## Derived Forms
- cornily
- corniness

## Related Forms
- corn

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: corn

## Etymology
From 'corn' plus '-y'. The slang sense 'trite, old-fashioned' arose in 1930s American jazz usage, perhaps from the notion of rustic, rural ('corn-fed') unsophistication.

## AI Etymology
Corny is from 'corn' plus '-y'. The slang sense 'trite, old-fashioned' arose in 1930s American jazz usage, perhaps from the notion of rustic, rural ('corn-fed') unsophistication. In present-day use, it means trite, mawkishly sentimental, or unsophisticatedly humorous. Derived formations include cornily and corniness. Related vocabulary includes corn.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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corny

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