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.
These vines, rooted deep in the stony soil, embody the character of the land and its native flora. John Mariani, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024 Some trails that probe this stony playground are Granite Gardens, Constellation, Centennial and Watson Lake Loop. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024 In the wild, Atlantic pillar corals suffered a 97% decline in Florida between 2015-2024, primarily from the stony coral disease. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024 Laughter was a bit more scattered than in my press and industry screening that morning, and the European couple next to me sat in stony silence for much of the movie. Nate Jones, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near stony

Cite this Entry

“Stony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stony. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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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