NYT Dictionary

CORNY

/ˈkɔɹni/
AdjectiveCORN-ycorn-y · 2 syllablesGrade 4

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025

Meaning

Boring and unoriginal.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-nóm Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂-nós Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂nóm Proto-Germanic *kurną Proto-West Germanic *korn Old English corn Middle English corn Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y Middle English corny English corny From Middle English corny, equivalent to corn (“a type of cereal or grain”) + -y. Piecewise doublet of grainy. In the "hackneyed" sense, from "corn catalogue jokes", reputedly low-quality jokes that were formerly printed in mail-order seed catalogues.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

humdrumtediousuninterestingbanalbasicmindlessbeatblahcommonplacebland

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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