stony

[stoh-nee] /ˈstoʊ ni/

adjective, stonier, stoniest.

full of or abounding in stones or rock:

a stony beach.

pertaining to or characteristic of stone.

resembling or suggesting stone, especially in its hardness.

unfeeling; merciless; obdurate:

a stony heart.

motionless or rigid; without expression, as the eyes or a look:

a hard, stony stare.

petrifying; stupefying:

stony fear.

having a stone or stones, as fruit.

Also, stoney.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English; Old English stānig. See stone, -y¹

Related forms

stonily, adverb

stoniness, noun

unstonily, adverb

unstoniness, noun

unstony, adjective

Synonyms

1. rocky, pebbly. 4. adamant, hard, flinty, pitiless, inflexible, unbending.

Examples from the web for stony

Despite their stony appearance, coral reefs are fragile, living things.
It is to be feared that their seed was scattered on stony ground.
With an anatomical rustle that soared into the murk of the stony vaults above them, all bowed their heads.
Since she didn't know the language, they wouldn't have to speak or ask any questions of the stony-faced people around them.
Immediately his empty sockets return a gray, stony stare.
His eyes were bent fixedly before him, and throughout his whole countenance there reigned a stony rigidity.
Here no stony ground provokes the wrath of the farmer.
These signs of life are unmistakably distinct from their stony tombs.
Every year new generations of corals build their homes on the stony remnants of their ancestors.
It is about the size of a coconut, with a slight snout and a thick brow visoring its stony sockets.

British Dictionary definitions for stony

/ˈstəʊnɪ/

adjective stonier, stoniest

of or resembling stone

abounding in stone or stones

unfeeling, heartless, or obdurate

short for stony-broke

Derived Forms

stonily, adverb
stoniness, noun

Word Origin and History for stony

adj.

Old English stanig; see stone (n.) + -y (2).

Slang definitions & phrases for stony

adjective

Especially good; super (1980s+ Teenagers)