cheesy

Everyday

1. Tasting or smelling of cheese, or full of cheese. tree →
2. (informal) Silly, cheap or too sentimental in an embarrassing way, as in «a cheesy joke» or «a cheesy song». tree →
3. (informal) A «cheesy grin» is a very big, wide smile, often a bit fake, like when you say «cheese» for a photo. tree →

In the lessons

In food talk, cheesy pasta or cheesy chips have lots of cheese. In everyday and school talk, «cheesy» is a common informal word for corny jokes, films and pop songs. In writing lessons, teachers may say an ending is «cheesy» if it is too sweet or predictable.

Examples

• We had cheesy pasta bake for tea. tree →
• Dad tells really cheesy jokes. tree →
• The film had a cheesy happy ending. tree →
• He gave a big cheesy grin for the photo. tree →
• These crisps are extra cheesy. tree →
• That song is so cheesy, but I love it. tree →
• Cheesy feet smell is caused by bacteria! tree →

Note

Adjective: cheese + -y (drop the e). Comparatives: cheesier, cheesiest. Informal for meanings 2 and 3. Similar: corny (jokes), naff (UK).