rocky

¹

[rok-ee]

adjective

rockier, rockiest 

1. full of or abounding in rocks.

2. consisting of rock.

3. rocklike.

   wood with a rocky hardness.

4. firm; steadfast.

   rocky endurance.

5. unfeeling; without sympathy or emotion.

   my rocky heart.

rocky

²

[rok-ee]

adjective

rockier, rockiest 

1. inclined or likely to rock; tottering; shaky; unsteady.

2. difficult or uncertain; full of hazards or obstacles.

   a business with a rocky future.

3. physically unsteady or weak, as from sickness.

rocky

¹

/ ˈrɒkɪ /

adjective

1. consisting of or abounding in rocks

   a rocky shore

2. hard or unyielding

   rocky determination

3. hard like rock

   rocky muscles

rocky

²

/ ˈrɒkɪ /

adjective

1. weak, shaky, or unstable

2. informal,  (of a person) dizzy; sickly; nauseated

Other Word Forms

• rockiness noun
• rockily adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of rocky¹

First recorded in 1400–50; rock ¹ + -y ¹ ( def. )

Origin of rocky²

First recorded in 1730–40; rock ² + -y ¹

Example Sentences

In the foreground, an indigenous woman carrying a baby in her arms and a basket on her back, accompanied by a young boy and his dogs, traverses the rocky terrain.

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From a team threatening to carry all before it earlier in the season, albeit without being at their best and relying on late goals, Liverpool now look rocky.

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On a rocky outcropping she called the Peak, Goodall made her first important observation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Williams reminds us that even in our darkest political times, our inner lives continue along the same rocky spiritual paths.

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The break in the Santa Monica Bay was constructed to create a marina, but storms and time damaged it beyond effectiveness, though remnants of the rocky break still affect the water flow, researchers said.

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Related Words

• shaky 
• tricky 
• unstable 
• unsteady