stony

American  

[stoh-nee] / ˈstoʊ ni /

Or stoney

adjective

stonier, stoniest

1. full of or abounding in stones or rock.

   a stony beach.

   Synonyms:

   pebbly, rocky

2. pertaining to or characteristic of stone.

3. resembling or suggesting stone, especially in its hardness.

4. unfeeling; merciless; obdurate.

   a stony heart.

   Synonyms:

   unbending, inflexible, pitiless, flinty, hard, adamant

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.

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stony British  

/ ˈstəʊnɪ /

adjective

1. of or resembling stone

2. abounding in stone or stones

3. unfeeling, heartless, or obdurate

4. short for stony-broke

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Other Word Forms

• stonily adverb
• stoniness noun
• unstonily adverb
• unstoniness noun
• unstony adjective

Etymology

Origin of stony

before 1000; Middle English; Old English stānig. See stone, -y ¹

Example Sentences

"People didn't react like 'oh what a great guy', it was the opposite of that. It was a stony silence. There seemed to be so little connection with the UK, which struck me as odd."

From BBC

Much of the action takes place inside Perpetual Fortitude’s stony walls but cleverly, the weather outside shifts along with the mood.

From Los Angeles Times

She stared, fascinated, at the strange rock formations that furnished this stony room.

From Literature

The carriage bounced and rattled along the stony streets, at times so violently it seemed as if the wheels would shatter.

From Literature

As a Colored woman, my neck had constantly been beneath the stony foot of racial segregation, so collapsing under the weight of a bad twist of fate was a luxury I did not have.

From Literature

Related Words

• expressionless
• frigid