flinty

adjective

ˈflin-tē 

flintier; flintiest

1

: resembling flint

especially : stern, unyielding

flinty determination

2

: composed of or covered with flint

flintily

ˈflin-tə-lē 

adverb

flintiness

ˈflin-tē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of flinty

• strict
• tough
• harsh
• authoritarian
• stern
• rigid
• rigorous
• hardened
• hard
• gruff
• severe
• austere

Examples of flinty in a Sentence

a flinty and determined hero

a flinty warrior hardened by years of battle

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s Peter Green (Firstman), a scruffy, dark-haired man in his twenties; his flinty-eyed business partner, Sophie (Cara Delevingne); and several other friends, all of them pumped to drink, dance, and do ketamine bumps into the wee hours. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026

Whereas Samaan is almost pathologically unassertive, Fatimah knows how to work her smile as well as her body, covering stark vulnerability with a flinty sense of self-protection. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Luengo, flinty and formidable, gives Emilia’s anger and wary hope equal weight. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026

In the Cold War, the idea of the flinty citizen soldier, peacefully tending his field but ready to pick up a weapon at a moment’s notice, was invoked in the struggle against the Soviet Union. — Vivian Yee, New York Times, 20 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flinty

• inti
• minty