cornball
Sentimental to excess
Cornball describes something unsophisticated, overly sentimental, or awkwardly old-fashioned—the kind of humor or behavior that makes people cringe or roll their eyes: His cornball jokes embarrassed his teenagers.
As a noun, a cornball is a person who acts this way.
The word suggests trying too hard to be wholesome or funny and landing somewhere between endearing and painful.
Overused and unoriginal
- triteOverused, lacking freshness
- banalUnoriginal and dull
- cheesyCheap and insincere
- overdoneExcessive in degree
hokey · predictable · stale · worn-out · unoriginal · formulaic · stock · shopworn
Excessively and insincerely sentimental
- sappyExcessively sentimental
- maudlinExcessively tearful sentiment
- saccharineExaggeratedly sentimental
- syrupyExcessively sweet or sentimental
treacly · mushy · gushy · weepy · tearjerker · mawkish · overemotional · sugary
Exaggerated physical humor
- goofyAmusingly foolish or absurd
- zanyAmusingly absurd
- campyEntertainingly artificial and overblown
- schtickTrademark comedic routine
buffoonery · clowning · hammy · vaudeville · lowbrow · pratfall · mugging · over-the-top
Informally friendly and simple
- down-homeUnpretentiously simple and welcoming
- heartwarmingEvoking tender positive feelings
- apple-pieTraditional American baked dessert
- homespunPlain and unpretentious
small-town · innocent · earnest · sincere · unpretentious · family-friendly · good-natured · guileless
hackneyed
Overused and unoriginal
overdone · hokey · predictable · stale · worn-out · unoriginal · formulaic · stock · shopworn · bromidic
schmaltzy
Excessively and insincerely sentimental
- sappyExcessively sentimental
- maudlinExcessively tearful sentiment
- saccharineExaggeratedly sentimental
syrupy · treacly · mushy · gushy · weepy · tearjerker · mawkish · overemotional · sugary · soapy
slapstick
Exaggerated physical humor
schtick · buffoonery · clowning · hammy · vaudeville · lowbrow · pratfall · mugging · over-the-top · broad
folksy
Informally friendly and simple
- down-homeUnpretentiously simple and welcoming
- heartwarmingEvoking tender positive feelings
- apple-pieTraditional American baked dessert
homespun · small-town · innocent · earnest · sincere · unpretentious · family-friendly · good-natured · guileless · simple
tacky
Vulgar or slightly sticky
garish · kitschy · tasteless · flashy · loud · cheap · ostentatious · tawdry · gimcrack · junky
cornballsophisticate
Worldly, cultured person
hipster · cosmopolitan · urbanite · worldly · sophisticated