as in rustical
tiresomely obvious and unsophisticated
the show's shamelessly cornball jokes appealed to small-town America
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hick
an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country
a movie about a cornball making his way through a world of cynical sophisticates
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cornball
A.a. Dowd, Chron, 7 Feb. 2023
Seemingly the only non-conservative included in the bit was Shri Thanedar, a Democrat and state representative from Michigan, who appeared in a cornball commercial featuring people demonstrating mind-bendingly bad acting.
—oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2022
Denise Martin, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024
Ivan Reitman’s family comedy is nothing if not cornball.
—EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cornball
Adjective
Soderbergh keeps cutting around the cornball potential of the material.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 7 Feb. 2023
Seemingly the only non-conservative included in the bit was Shri Thanedar, a Democrat and state representative from Michigan, who appeared in a cornball commercial featuring people demonstrating mind-bendingly bad acting.
—oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2022
Noun
What if there’s a fry-at-home thing to make these cornballs with that you would get horribly burnt on?
—Denise Martin, Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024
Ivan Reitman’s family comedy is nothing if not cornball.
—EW.com, 2 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cornball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cornball
Noun
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Without so many of the fears, complexes, and prejudices hick shaped us in the ‘90s and the ‘00s.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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Sorrentino may also be exorcising some conflicting feelings about his birthplace, which is portrayed as a vulgar, crude place populated by crooks and hicks and photographed like its paradise.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The analogy might be hokey, but the sentiment makes some sense.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
16 July 2025
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Reusing the John Williams music from Richard Donner’s 1978 film felt a little hokey as well.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Noun
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Visitors can take part in the action at the on-site museum where 700 pieces of clown memorabilia are displayed in every nook and cranny, some even suspended from the ceiling.—
Rebecca Deurlein,
Southern Living,
22 July 2025
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Pepe the Frog became political, then hate symbol, during 2016 election The frog doodle in clown accessories that flashes in the video is known as Pepe the Frog, and its appearance in Trump's social media posts has sparked interest before.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Let the style of your home guide your decision—choose warm tones for rustic or eclectic spaces, and cooler ones for sleek, contemporary settings.—
Sophie Flaxman,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 July 2025
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While the collection is brimming with furniture that is designed to be both rustic and elegant, so many pieces are already sold out.—
Rachel Trujillo,
People.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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As for partisan rubes like Senator Van Hollen, Maryland can do better.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
26 June 2025
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There was no quintessential American, so Twain imagined him: a wily rube, cynical toward the same refinements of Europe that inspired awe in him.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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Gunn’s approach is colorful, in both its palette and the costumes; proudly fantastical, with flying orbs, robots, portals, and giant monsters; and at times endearingly, intentionally corny (see: Krypto the super dog).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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The execution on this is just the right amount of corny thanks to Alden Ehrenreich.—
Stacia Brown,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
Noun
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The movie depicts Nashville as a town full of hayseeds who are bamboozled by the fast-talking Reynolds.—
Keith Sharon,
Nashville Tennessean,
2 Feb. 2025
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Baby Billy’s first full-frontal scene is more a testament to Walton Goggins’s incredible hayseed bravado in the rule.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Cattle—even corn-fed ones—tend to spend much of their life on pasture eating grass, which leads to a lot of methane burps, but growing that grass is not carbon intensive.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
8 Jan. 2025
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Never underestimate a corn-fed basic from Hockeytown.—
Meredith Blake,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Cornball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cornball. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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