hokey

adjective

hok·​ey ˈhō-kē 

hokier; hokiest

1

: corny entry 1 sense 1

the usual hokey melodrama

2

: obviously contrived : phony

the plots are tricky but not hokey

—Cleveland Amory

hokeyness noun

or hokiness

ˈhō-kē-nəs 

hokily

ˈhō-kə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• corn-fed
• cornball
• cornpone
• corny

Examples of hokey in a Sentence

She gave us some hokey excuse for being late.

their father's sense of humor was hokey beyond belief and most people's endurance

Recent Examples on the Web

To gain her confidence, Arabella pretends to be Jewish (a hokey contrivance that Shakespeare would have approved of), and Indji shares the story of her banishment. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025

Cutting a long story short, a vocal minority of reactionary gamers is perturbed that a sci-fi video game features a Black samurai protagonist, despite the game’s hokey premise centering on the genetic recording of memories written to computer software. —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025

A bit hokey, but funny, and a good Christmas story. —Jake Ciely, The Athletic, 25 Dec. 2024

What doesn’t is the hokey scene set in a Homegoods store where apparently small children with big designer dreams practice elaborate tablescaping. —Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1