What does "corny" mean?
Boring and unoriginal.
Corny
/ˈkɔːni/ adj, slang
adj, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Boring and unoriginal.
- Grammar: corny is listed as adj, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: platitudinous, agrarian, back number, back-number.
- Useful contrasts: witty, cosmopolitan, fresh.
- Usage evidence: Mary's the only one who laughs at Tom's corny jokes.
How to use "corny"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "corny" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "corny" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "corny" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "corny" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "corny" is acting as adj, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "platitudinous" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "corny", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Boring and unoriginal.
"The duct tape and wire was a pretty corny solution."
- 2 Having or pertaining to corns (a type of callus).
"I had not long in open Street, / Been puniſhing my Corny Feet, […]"
- 3 Horny; strong, stiff or hard like horn; resembling horn. obsolete
"Up stood the cornie Reed."
- 4 Hackneyed or excessively sentimental.
"The movie was okay, but the love scene was really corny."
- 5 Uncool, stupid, lame. slang
"Dreya shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "I'm going to bed. Y'all corny.""
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Containing corn. rare
"Country Cornbread Muffins (page 290) / Marlene Says: The cool crunchy salad and slightly sweet corny muffins are perfect partners to the creamy, spicy black bean soup."
- 7 Producing corn or grain; furnished with grains of corn. obsolete
"The corny ear."
- 8 Tipsy; drunk. UK, obsolete, slang
"Yen day when aw was corney."
- 9 Horny (sexually aroused; experiencing sexual desire). euphemistic
Adjective
- 1 dull and tiresome but with pretensions of significance or originality wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Mary's the only one who laughs at Tom's corny jokes."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "corny"?
Common synonyms include: platitudinous, agrarian, back number, back-number, banal, banal.
How do you use "corny" in a sentence?
Mary's the only one who laughs at Tom's corny jokes.
How do you pronounce "corny"?
Pronounced /ˈkɔːni/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English corny, equivalent to corn (“a type of cereal or grain”) + -y. Piecewise doublet of grainy. In the "hackneyed" sense, from "corn catalogue jokes", reputedly low-quality jokes that were formerly printed in mail-order seed catalogues.
Etymology 2
From corn (“a type of callus”) + -y. Piecewise doublet of horny.
Etymology 3
From Middle French corne or Latin cornu (“horn”) + -y.