rocky
1 Americanadjective
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rockier,
comparative
-
rockiest
superlative
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inclined or likely to rock; tottering; shaky; unsteady.
-
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
-
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.
See Examples For:
At The Roaches, a dramatic rocky landscape area in the Peak District, fire broke out in June.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
John Mozeliak’s first foray into upgrading the Angels is off to a rocky start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Zelle also got off to a rocky start, only to gain steam as it got embedded into the banking apps that customers already used.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The animals are believed to be one of the oldest living cat species and are native to the dry, rocky areas of Central Asia.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“But in front of the sands, curved from the rocks at one end to the cliffs at the other, is a maze of rocky reef—a treacherous, sword-sharp, boat-ripping reef.”
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Some systems could produce larger planets, rockier worlds, or perhaps more planets overall.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026
The new year is already off to a rockier start, with the stock down around 24% in 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
But it’s been a rockier road than they had hoped.
From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2025
If it doesn’t, the economy could face even rockier times.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2025
As he moved southward, the skirts of the hills were rockier and the saplings fewer.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
But in his third and rockiest year at the helm of the Trojans, Riley was still compensated like one of the kings of the sport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
The past year—which included parent company Paramount’s controversial merger with Skydance Media, and the installment of Bari Weiss as CBS News’ editor in chief—has been one of the rockiest in 60 Minutes’ decadeslong history.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
That is helping Weyerhaeuser ride out one of the rockiest periods for the forest-products industry in the past two decades.
From Barron's ● Dec. 16, 2025
Miami — a seven-time finalist now, seeking a fourth title — had about the rockiest path to the Rocky Mountains that a team could have.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2023
It was gravelly near the water, rockiest at the lower end, and, from a mouse’s point of view, hilly.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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.
