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 adverb
corniness noun

corny

2 of 2

adjective (2)

cornier; corniest
: relating to or having corns on the feet

Examples of corny in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Supported by no more than an electric guitarist who luxuriated in the languid effects of his pedal boards, Mariangela chose to deliver her songs with an open heart that was too earnest to be corny. Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 As the series carries on toward a climax, or climaxes, old Hollywood tropes rush in, things get corny, and the whole show becomes less persuasive. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024 All of this seems very corny and unscientific, and when Nate dares to question it, he gets insulted and rebuffed. Vulture, 21 Dec. 2023 These faux-leather tassel bookmarks are pretty, fairly durable, and not corny. Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 7 Dec. 2023 Madame Web doesn’t capitalize on the affecting potential of this realization; most of these discoveries are relegated to corny exposition, and the girls never move beyond stock-character territory. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024 Against Harlow’s advice and much to J.Lo’s dismay, Affleck surprises her in the studio dressed from head to toe in corny Dunkin gear. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2024 Blue wore custom Vivienne Westwood and smiled gamely throughout Jay-Z’s sweet and corny dad jokes (as well as his explicit criticism of the Recording Academy for never giving Beyoncé album of the year), clinching her status as the world’s coolest 12-year-old. Emma Specter, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024 Many Gen Zers aren’t really interested, and not just because these places are corny. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of corny was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near corny

Cite this Entry

“Corny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corny. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

corny

adjective
ˈkȯr-nē
cornier; corniest
: tastelessly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple or sentimental
corny music
corny jokes

Medical Definition

corny

adjective
cornier; corniest
: relating to or having corns on the feet
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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