corny

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)ni

Etymology 1

corn +‎ -y; in the "hackneyed" sense, from "corn catalogue jokes", reputedly low-quality jokes that were formerly printed in mail-order seed catalogues.

Adjective

corny (comparative cornier, superlative corniest)

1. Insipid or trite.

   The duct tape and wire were a pretty corny solution.

2. Hackneyed or excessively sentimental.

   The movie was okay, but the love scene was really corny.

   He sent a bouquet of twelve red roses and a card: "Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you." How corny is that!

3. (obsolete) Producing corn or grain; furnished with grains of corn.
   • Prior

     The corny ear.

4. Containing corn; tasting well of malt.
   • Chaucer

     A draught of moist and corny ale.

5. (obsolete, UK, slang) tipsy; drunk

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Forby to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (hackneyed or excessively sentimental): kitsch, kitschy, cheesy

Translations

Insipid or trite

• French: banal (fr) m
• Greek: τετριμμένος (el) (tetrimménos) m
• Indonesian: murahan (id)

• Japanese: 寒い (ja) (samui)
• Russian: банальный (ru) (banalʹnyj)

excessively sentimental

• Arabic: ثقيل الظل, سخيف (ar)
• Bulgarian: сантиментален (bg) (santimentalen)
• Dutch: melig (nl), sentimenteel (nl)
• French: kitsch (fr) m, sirupeux (fr) m, dégoulinant (fr) m
• Greek: σαχλός (el) (sachlós) m

• Italian: sdolcinato (it)
• Norwegian: kårny (no)
• Portuguese: meloso (pt) m, piegas (pt), brega (pt)
• Russian: сентиментальный (ru) (sentimentalʹnyj), слащавый (ru) (slaščavyj)
• Spanish: cursi (es)

Etymology 2

Latin cornu (“horn”).

Adjective

corny (comparative more corny, superlative most corny)

1. (obsolete) Strong, stiff, or hard, like a horn; resembling horn.
   • Milton

     Up stood the corny reed.

Anagrams

• crony, croyn