variants or less commonly stoney
stonier; stoniest
1
: abounding in or having the nature of stone : rocky
2
a
: insensitive to pity or human feeling : obdurate
b
: manifesting no movement or reaction : dumb, expressionless
c
: fearfully gripping : petrifying
3
archaic : consisting of or made of stones
4
British : stone broke
stonily adverb
stoniness noun

Examples of stony in a Sentence

She gave him a stony stare. the judge's stony demeanor didn't raise the defendant's hopes for a more lenient sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And most of those business people tend to have rather stony, cold, dead eyes. Andrew Tobias, Vulture, 7 July 2025 The reef is home to 45 species of stony corals, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and 6,000 species of marine line total. Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025 The typically blustery course, located along the stony shore of Sandwich Bay, was calm during the first round, which began at 6:45am. Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 2 July 2025 Also worth a visit are the stony remains at the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Marcia Desanctis, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for stony

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stony was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stony. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

stony

adjective
variants also stoney
stonier; stoniest
1
a
: full of stones
stony soil
b
: hard as stone
a stony seed
2
: pitiless, unfeeling
a stony stare
stonily adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on stony

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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