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
Cleveland Amory
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
After the composer’s death, a hokey big operatic ending got tacked on with a showy duet by a second-rate composer, Franco Alfano.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
This is a big hokey underdog story, but it’s told with a grit and realism that matches the era; Rocky’s just a good-hearted schmo from the neighborhood who doesn’t have the stomach to break thumbs for the mob but isn’t sure what else the world has for him either.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2024
Eventually, after she was done, there were some inserts done which look kind of hokey because the angles are a little off, but some of it’s in the movie.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
The story lacked depth, the thinking went; the actors were too young and the sets and costumes too hokey.
—Zachary Pincus-Roth, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hokey 
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024
This is a big hokey underdog story, but it’s told with a grit and realism that matches the era; Rocky’s just a good-hearted schmo from the neighborhood who doesn’t have the stomach to break thumbs for the mob but isn’t sure what else the world has for him either.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2024
Eventually, after she was done, there were some inserts done which look kind of hokey because the angles are a little off, but some of it’s in the movie.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
The story lacked depth, the thinking went; the actors were too young and the sets and costumes too hokey.
—Zachary Pincus-Roth, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hokey
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hokey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hokey
Cite this Entry
“Hokey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hokey. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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