hokeyness

8.1

A feeling of being silly and fake that others do not take seriously

noun
/ˈhoʊkiˌnəs/

Informal

: cursilería

The movie's sentimental plot was marred by its overall hokeyness, making it hard to take seriously.

Examples

Despite its hokeyness, the musical quickly became a favorite among families looking for light-hearted entertainment.
The hokeyness of the card game, with its cheesy puns and fake accents, added to the fun of the evening.
Disregarding its occult connotation, the Church of Satan is neither brooding black flame hokeyness nor grab-and-go.

Blog text (20)

Synonyms

silliness

vshokeyness

29 2.6

Playful or foolish behavior that is not serious and often funny

is about foolishness combined with fake or excessive sentiment rather than pure play

sentimentality

vshokeyness

17 5.5

A way of showing too much emotion that seems false

is similar but also stresses silliness and lack of seriousness

schmaltz

vshokeyness

4 9.5

An overly emotional style in art like songs or films

is alike but also sounds silly or fake rather than earnest

phoniness

vshokeyness

Informal

4 7.2

The quality of seeming false and not sincere

is similar but adds overt sentimental silliness rather than plain fakery

mawkishness

vshokeyness

1 9.5

A feeling of too much fake emotion that seems overly sweet

is like that but adds a silly, not serious quality

saccharine tone

vshokeyness

1 8.4

A way of speaking or writing that sounds too sweet and not real

is similar but tends to feel corny and unserious too

sappiness

vshokeyness

Informal

1 6.3

Being too emotional in a way that seems not sincere

is the same excess but also reads as cheap or fake

cheesiness

vshokeyness

Informal

1 4.9

A feeling that something is silly because it is cheap or too sentimental

is like that but more likely to be seen as fake and silly

corniness

vshokeyness

Informal

1 6.0

Being sentimental and old-fashioned in a way that feels silly or embarrassing

is similar but more clearly unsincere and not taken seriously

tackiness

vshokeyness

Informal

1 6.6

A quality of looking cheap and in bad taste

is more about silly, sentimental insincerity than mere bad taste

drippiness

vshokeyness

9.6

A feeling that is too emotional and seems false

is similar but also comes across as silly or not taken seriously

soupiness

vshokeyness

Literature

8.3

A feeling that is too emotional in a story or film

is similar but also feels cheap and not taken seriously

Antonyms

authenticity

71 4.8

A quality that shows something is real and believable to people

seriousness

53 2.7

A calm and honest way of speaking or acting that shows you mean what you say

How Corny

tackiness

Informal

1 6.6

hokeyness

Informal

8.1

corniness

Informal

1 6.0

cheesiness

Informal

1 4.9

Surface Forms

hokeyness singular

hokeynesses plural

Morphology

hokeyness = hokey (transparent) = hokey + ness

A straightforward nominalization of the adjective 'hokey' with the productive suffix '-ness' to indicate the quality or state.

Etymology

Hokeyness comes from hokey, a word linked to playful terms like hocus-pocus and hokum that mean 'nonsense' or a 'showy trick'. So, something with hokeyness feels silly, too emotional, or a little fake, which is why people do not take it seriously.