rocky
1 Americanadjective
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inclined or likely to rock; tottering; shaky; unsteady.
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difficult or uncertain; full of hazards or obstacles.
a business with a rocky future.
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physically unsteady or weak, as from sickness.
adjective
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consisting of or abounding in rocks
a rocky shore
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hard or unyielding
rocky determination
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hard like rock
rocky muscles
adjective
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weak, shaky, or unstable
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informal (of a person) dizzy; sickly; nauseated
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of rocky1
First recorded in 1400–50; rock 1 + -y 1 ( def. )
Origin of rocky2
Explanation
Anything rocky is covered with rocks, like a rocky beach or hillside. You can also use rocky for something that moves in a bumpy or uneven manner, like a rocky ride in a Jeep. There's a figurative sense of rocky that means "difficult, rough, or up-and-down" like your rocky relationship with your sister or a struggling business's rocky future. This meaning comes from a combination of the "uneven and covered with rocks" definition and the verb rock, or "sway back and forth." The Rocky Mountains, which aren't actually all that rocky, were named for the local Native American people, called "the stone Sioux" by their Cree neighbors.
Vocabulary lists containing rocky
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The athletes "help us tremendously because they help us to create global awareness, also global reach", Global Basketball General Manager for ANTA, Rocky Fan, told AFP in Chengdu.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
On the eve of every Philadelphia World Cup match day, fans of the nations playing 24 hours later gathered on the steps around the Rocky statue and created an incredible, heart-warming atmosphere.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
Brazilian soccer fans also learned a lesson and prevented their supporters from dressing up the Rocky statue in their colors.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026
Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever can range from fever and a rash to long-term effects that include damage to internal organs or neurological disorders.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
“Seriously? How many times have we gone to the Pride Parade? Who introduced you to Rocky Horror Picture Show? And the L Word? Get out of my face with that.”
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
