Try Our Apps
Dictionary.com

follow Dictionary.com

Famous Last Words

stony

or stoney

[stoh-nee] /ˈstoʊ ni/
adjective, stonier, stoniest.
1.
full of or abounding in stones or rock:
a stony beach.
2.
pertaining to or characteristic of stone.
3.
resembling or suggesting stone, especially in its hardness.
4.
unfeeling; merciless; obdurate:
a stony heart.
5.
motionless or rigid; without expression, as the eyes or a look:
a hard, stony stare.
6.
petrifying; stupefying:
stony fear.
7.
having a stone or stones, as fruit.
8.
Slang. stone-broke.
Origin of stony
Middle English
Old English
1000
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
Cite This Source
Examples from the Web for stonily
Historical Examples

  • Three pairs of eyes and an odd one—the other was hidden under a bandage—stared at him stonily.

    The Ambulance Made Two Trips William Fitzgerald Jenkins

  • "Get this calf-eyed girl Friday of yours off my back," he said stonily.

    Tinker's Dam Joseph Tinker

  • He was disconcerted somewhat by her white, still face, the big light violet eyes resting on him stonily.

    'Twixt Land & Sea Joseph Conrad

  • "I guess it doesn't matter much what I want," she said stonily.

    Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896 to 1901 Lucy Maud Montgomery

  • "That's no matter," replied Shefford, stonily, and he met her gaze with steady eyes.

    The Rainbow Trail Zane Grey

  • She eyed him stonily, and then sent him off about his business.

    Long Live the King Mary Roberts Rinehart

  • Mrs. Crowl surveyed Denzil Cantercot so stonily and cut him his beef so savagely that he said grace when the dinner was over.

    The Big Bow Mystery I. Zangwill

  • She told him, stonily, that he had disappointed her dearest hopes and broken her heart.

    Fort Amity Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

  • His voice was on the point of breaking, but the governess stood there stonily.

    The Carved Lions Mrs. Molesworth

  • She looked at him at first stonily, and then suddenly more kindly.

    The Prodigal Father J. Storer Clouston
British Dictionary definitions for stonily

stony

/ˈstəʊnɪ/
adjective stonier, stoniest
1.
of or resembling stone
2.
abounding in stone or stones
3.
unfeeling, heartless, or obdurate
4.
short for stony-broke
Derived Forms
stonily, adverb
stoniness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for stonily

stony

adj.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang definitions & phrases for stonily

stony

adjective

Especially good; super (1980s+ Teenagers)

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Cite This Source

Word of the Day

Difficulty index for stony

Most English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for stonily

10
11
Scrabble Words With Friends

Nearby words for stonily

Heartbreak