hokey
Clichéd and contrived
Hokey means corny, contrived, or overly sentimental in a way that feels false or cheap.
A hokey plot relies on clichés.
A hokey joke tries too hard.
The movie's ending was hokey but I cried anyway.
The word carries mild disdain—hokey things aren't offensive, just lacking in authenticity or sophistication.
Belonging to earlier times
- retroEvoking recent past
- vintageQuality from past eras
- quaintAttractively unfamiliar, outdated
- datedOld-fashioned or courted
throwback · bygone · corny · yesteryear · homespun · rustic · provincial · small-town
Cheap and insincere
- campyEntertainingly artificial and overblown
- kitschTasteless, garish art
- tackyVulgar or slightly sticky
- schmaltzyExcessively and insincerely sentimental
hammy · overdone · gimmicky · schlocky · cornball · cutesy · wholesome · folksy
Overused, lacking freshness
- hackneyedOverused and unoriginal
- banalUnoriginal and dull
- overusedEmployed too frequently
- predictableAble to be foreseen
formulaic · unoriginal · tired · worn-out · stale · derivative · platitudinous · shopworn
Excessively tearful sentiment
- sappyExcessively sentimental
- schmaltzyExcessively and insincerely sentimental
- mushySoft or saccharine
- weepyInclined to cry
treacly · sugary · gooey · tearjerker · syrupy · saccharine · overwrought · melodramatic
Fraudulent person or thing
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- artificialMade, not natural
- unconvincingNot able to persuade
- fakeNot the real thing
forced · put-on · affected · disingenuous · false · feigned · hollow · plastic
old-fashioned
Belonging to earlier times
dated · throwback · bygone · corny · yesteryear · homespun · rustic · provincial · small-town · antique
cheesy
Cheap and insincere
- campyEntertainingly artificial and overblown
- kitschTasteless, garish art
- tackyVulgar or slightly sticky
schmaltzy · hammy · overdone · gimmicky · schlocky · cornball · cutesy · wholesome · folksy · small-town
trite
Overused, lacking freshness
predictable · formulaic · unoriginal · tired · worn-out · stale · derivative · platitudinous · shopworn · old-hat
maudlin
Excessively tearful sentiment
weepy · treacly · sugary · gooey · tearjerker · syrupy · saccharine · overwrought · melodramatic · lachrymose
phony
Fraudulent person or thing
- contrivedDeliberately manufactured, unnatural
- artificialMade, not natural
- unconvincingNot able to persuade
fake · forced · put-on · affected · disingenuous · false · feigned · hollow · plastic · manufactured
hokeysophisticated
Worldly and cultured
worldly · cosmopolitan · urbane · hip · refined
hokeygenuine
Truly what it claims
authentic · sincere · natural · subtle · understated
hokeyoriginal
First or inventive
fresh · innovative · creative · inventive · groundbreaking
- hokey pokeyParticipatory children's ring dance
- Hokey CokeyBritish circle dance song
hokum, hokey-pokey, hoke, hokeyness, hokiness, hokier, hokey pokey