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Synonyms

rocky

1 American  
[rok-ee] / ˈrɒk i /

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 American  
[rok-ee] / ˈrɒk i /

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 British  
/ ˈrɒkɪ /

adjective

  1. consisting of or abounding in rocks

    a rocky shore

  2. hard or unyielding

    rocky determination

  3. hard like rock

    rocky muscles
"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
rocky 2 British  
/ ˈrɒkɪ /

adjective

  1. weak, shaky, or unstable

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

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

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing rocky

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -y

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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.

LHS 3844 b is a rocky world about 30% larger than Earth that circles a cool red dwarf star in just under 11 hours.

From Science Daily • May 5, 2026

Monday's hearing is the latest step on a rocky road for a woman who once dominated pop.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Namely, those fees for everything including carry-on bags, soft drinks, coffee, cramped seats that didn’t recline and rocky reliability.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

The company is hitting the market during a rocky period for the e-bike industry.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

My wheels groan as they roll over the very rocky ground.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

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.