Dictionary

cheesy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• chēʹzē
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈt͡ʃiːzi/

Etymology

From Middle English chesy, equivalent to cheese + -y. Doublet of caseic. Compare German käsig (“cheesy”).

Meanings

1. Of or relating to cheese.
   • This sandwich is full of cheesy goodness.
2. Resembling or containing cheese.
   • That was the first calzone I made after my Lucali meal, and the recipe is a good template for a calzone of the cheesiest kind. 2012 April 13, Melissa Clark, “See You Later, Pizza, This Dough Is for Calzones”, in The New York Times:
   • I like pizzas with a cheesy crust.
   • Near-synonym: cheesen (“made of cheese”)
   • He pushed open the door, and a hideous cheesy smell of sour beer hit him in the face. 1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Part One, Chapter 8:
   • He saw skin of every shade, from obsidian black through all the stages of brown and yellow to cheesy white, he even saw yellow hair and azure-colored eyes, faces and garments of every cut—he saw humanity. 2005, Thomas Mann, “Joseph in Egypt”, in John E. Woods, transl., Joseph and His Brothers, New York: Everyman's Library, Part 3, p. 633:
   • a cheesy flavor; cheesy nachos
   • If you’ve ever eaten Buffalo chicken wings and thought, “These are so good, I just wish they were meltier and cheesier so I could scoop them up with tortilla chips,” here’s Ali’s Buffalo chicken dip. 2024 January 27, The New York Times Cooking, “Chips as Chicken and Wings as Dip”, in The New York Times:
3. (informal) Overdramatic, excessively emotional or clichéd, trite, contrived.
   • Another night, when the local entertainers had gone home, Gould went into the empty lounge to play piano with a cheesy string of colored lights overhead and bongo drums at his side. 2010, Michael Clarkson, chapter 4, in The Secret Life of Glenn Gould: A Genius in Love, Toronto: ECW Press, page 54:
   • The cheesy antics had everyone giggling.
   • a cheesy song; a cheesy movie
4. (informal) Cheap, of poor quality.
   • I noticed […] that when a very cheesy synthesized violin sound plays in counterpoint with a real violin, it can quite convincingly seem as if two violins are playing. 2009, Roger T. Dean, The Oxford Handbook of Computer Music:
   • He would be apprenticed to some cheesy shop or become a clerk in an office and his entire life he would be one of the ordinary poor people, whom he despised and wanted to surpass. 1968, Hermann Hesse, chapter 1, in Michael Roloff, Bantam Books, transl., Beneath the Wheel, published 1970, page 30:
   • I tagged along behind this culturally accomplished beast intelligence in my scuffed handmedown shoes, unpressed illfitting post adolescent suit, dirt ringed shirt and cheesy tie, hair askew and book underarm, perspiring perhaps. 1977, Allen Ginsberg, “June 17, 1952”, in Gordon Ball, editor, Journals: Early Fifties, Early Sixties, New York: Grove Press, page 19:
5. Exaggerated and likely to be forced or insincere. (of a smile or grin)
   • There is something about 5- and 6-year-olds that makes them ever-ready to pose with the big, cheesy grin with no provocation. 2012, Ginny Felch, Photographing Children Photo Workshop:
   • Needless to say, toward the end of Martin's first term, the relationship he once enjoyed with President Waverly had evolved into a slapdash charade of cheap promises and cheesy smiles. 2008, Jeff Spanke, Second Hand Out, page 86:
6. Constituting or involving a technique considered unsporting or inelegant.
   • The Abyss is a bit worrisome, but what with the teleport control, you should be able to handle Pan. Just in case, I'll remind you that a) you can't be banished from a Labyrinth, b) you can't be banished if you're levitating (not flying) -- cheesy but effective 2005 November 7, Erik Piper, “-Crawl- How to cope with beserk mutation”, in rec.games.roguelike.misc (Usenet):

Forms

Deriveds

cheesymite · cheesily · uncheesy · cheesy puff · cheesylicious · cheesy chips · cheesiness

Relateds

cream-cheesy · mac and cheesy

Synonyms

cheapshit · kitschy · slushy · trite · garbage · trash · cheap and nasty · lousy · cheapo · punk · corny · rubbish · stock · drippy · slight · inexpensive · god-awful · tinhorn · banal · low-end · mid · substandard · nickel · tin-pot · corny · cheesen · schmaltzy · bottom-shelf · threadbare · unexpensive · warmed-over · crummy · pat · el cheapo · ticky-tacky · wretched · cheeselike · cheesy · overwrought · timeworn · sickly sweet · played out · cruddy · gash · overworked · clichéd · second-rate · schlocky · sad · oversentimental · pathetic · sixpenny · shite · ropy · poor man's · ass · drecky · overdone · craptastic · kitsch · low-cost · cheap · trashy · overused · soppy · naughty · cheesy · shitty · below par · overdone · squishy · soupy · slim · treacly · competitive · pound-shop · dime a dozen · cheesy · cheeseball · poor · dog-eared · coffee-and · played out · BTEC · crappo · chintzy · budget · base · under par · hackneyed · mawkish · mushy · scrubby · well-worn · cheapie · second-rate · woeful · cheap · crappy · lousy · inferior · hokey · economical · commonplace · bromidic · hoary · corny · caseic · rinky-dink · maudlin · economic · tenth-rate · sappy · shoddy · crapperific · icky · low · one-star · craptacular · cheesy · tacky · third-rate · low-quality · low-rent · bargainous · el cheapo · bathetic · low-priced · low-end · bad · gooey · craptabulous · stale · flimsy · tired · shit · low-grade · fourth-rate · crap · subpar · tatty · made in China · dogwater · two a penny · shopworn · bathetic · overemotional · caseic · bum · slazy · brand X · syrupy

Translations (86)

fi juustomainen (resembling cheese) · hu szirupos (overdramatic, clichéd) · ca caseós (resembling cheese) · pl serowy (of cheese) · ca kitsch (overdramatic, clichéd) · hy պանրանման (resembling cheese) · ca tronat (overdramatic, clichéd) · es caseoso (resembling cheese) · yi קעזיק (resembling cheese) · ru изби́тый (overdramatic, clichéd) · cy cawslyd (overdramatic, clichéd) · fr ringard (overdramatic, clichéd) · fr fromageux (of cheese) · fi teennäinen (smile or grin) · de billig (cheap) · da kitsch (overdramatic, clichéd) · ru ки́тчевый (overdramatic, clichéd) · cmn 陳腐 /陈腐 (overdramatic, clichéd) · io fromajala (of cheese) · fr faux (smile or grin) · pt caseoso (of cheese) · pt cafona (overdramatic, clichéd) · es caseoso (of cheese) · hu nyálas (overdramatic, clichéd) · io fromajatra (resembling cheese) · ru сы́рный (of cheese) · cy cawslyd (resembling cheese) · bg с вкус на сирене (resembling cheese) · it caseoso (resembling cheese) · hy պանրային (of cheese) · sv tillgjord (smile or grin) · fr naze (cheap) · fi kehno (cheap) · ru казео́зный (resembling cheese) · fi imelä (smile or grin) · sh sirni (of cheese) · ru зата́сканный (overdramatic, clichéd) · de gekünstelt (smile or grin) · pl kiczowaty (overdramatic, clichéd) · io fromajoza (of cheese) · fr forcé (smile or grin) · ru творо́жистый (resembling cheese) · fr niais (overdramatic, clichéd) · de schnulzig (overdramatic, clichéd) · fi juustoinen (of cheese) · de voller Klischees (overdramatic, clichéd) · da overdramatiseret (overdramatic, clichéd) · fr sourire de faux cul (smile or grin) · it caseoso (of cheese) · fr kitsch (overdramatic, clichéd) · cy cawslyd (of cheese) · yi קעזיק (of cheese) · ru дрянно́й (overdramatic, clichéd) · fi kitsahtava (overdramatic, clichéd) · de aufgesetzt (smile or grin) · ja 見掛け倒しの (overdramatic, clichéd) · nl oubollig (overdramatic, clichéd) · fr nul (cheap) · id berkeju (resembling cheese) · fr fromageux (resembling cheese) · fi kliseinen (overdramatic, clichéd) · pt piegas (overdramatic, clichéd) · fr pourri (cheap) · bg от сирене (of cheese) · ca caseós (of cheese) · fr quétaine (overdramatic, clichéd) · de kitschig (overdramatic, clichéd) · ru низкопро́бный (overdramatic, clichéd) · ca xaró (overdramatic, clichéd) · bg сладникав (overdramatic, clichéd) · de käsig (of cheese) · fi juustoinen (overdramatic, clichéd) · sh sirast (resembling cheese) · da klichéagtig (overdramatic, clichéd) · de künstlich (smile or grin) · ca cursi (overdramatic, clichéd) · fi halpa (cheap) · hy էժանագին (overdramatic, clichéd) · de Käse- (of cheese) · ja 安っぽい (overdramatic, clichéd) · vi sến (overdramatic, clichéd) · cs kýčovitý (overdramatic, clichéd) · ro brânzos (resembling cheese) · io fromaja (of cheese) · ca esnob (overdramatic, clichéd) · ca carrincló (overdramatic, clichéd)