# corny

Pronunciation: US say "KOR-nee" /ˈkɔɹni/; UK/AUS say "KAW-nee" /ˈkɔːni/

## Adjective

1. Stale and unoriginal from overuse, often to the point of dullness, or excessively sentimental.
   - Simple: Used so many times that it feels old and boring, or too sweet and full of feeling.
   - _Her graduation speech was packed with corny lines about reaching for the stars._
   - _The ending, with the couple kissing in the rain, felt even cornier than the rest of the film._
2. Lame, stupid, or uncool, said especially of a person or of something they say or do. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Not cool, and a bit stupid, said mostly about a person or something they do.
   - _Charging fans fifty dollars just to take a photo? That's corny._
   - _Bro, you're corny for subtweeting her instead of just talking to her._

## Adjective

3. Containing corn, used especially of baked goods such as muffins and cornbread. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Having corn in it, as some breads and muffins do.
4. Producing corn or grain, or bearing grains of corn, as an ear of grain does. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Growing corn or grain, or having grains of corn on it.
5. Tipsy or drunk; under the influence of alcohol, whether slightly or heavily. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: A bit drunk or fully drunk from drinking alcohol.
6. Strong, stiff, or hard like horn; more generally, resembling horn. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Hard, stiff, or strong like a horn, or looking like horn.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) A softer word for horny: sexually aroused or feeling sexual desire.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5** — The word was already corny in Middle English, a mix of corn and -y. Its "hackneyed" meaning is linked to "corn catalogue jokes," weak jokes that mail-order seed catalogues are said to have printed in the past.
**Meaning 6** — From Latin cornu, meaning 'horn'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/corny (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).