stony

adjective

ˈstō-nē 

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

ˈstō-nə-lē 

adverb

stoniness

ˈstō-nē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• stern
• grim
• ruthless
• harsh
• obdurate
• pitiless
• merciless
• indurate
• tough
• insensate
• callous
• soulless
• unfeeling
• remorseless
• inhuman
• unsympathetic
• affectless
• heartless
• insensitive
• compassionless
• unmerciful
• rough
• thick-skinned
• hard-hearted
• case-hardened
• uncharitable
• unsparing
• oppressive
• inhumane
• hard

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

Needless to say, the sanctions, Trump’s criticism of Putin and the cancelation of in-person talks, elicited a stony silence from Moscow on Thursday. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2025

Madewell Crewneck Cutaway Vest A stony tan vest might just be the sleeper hit of the season. —Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025

The images show thousands of homes turned to stony wreckage, green fields turned to dust, the veins of the city’s old roadways still visible. —Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2025

Give her the chance to play pathos, and Squibb can crack your stony heart in half. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing stony

• stony broke

Rhymes for stony

• boney
• boni
• bony
• coney
• crony
• monie
• mony
• phoney
• phony
• stoney
• toney
• tony

Kids Definition

stony

adjective

variants also stoney

ˈstō-nē 

stonier; stoniest

1

a

: full of stones

stony soil

b

: hard as stone

a stony seed

2

: pitiless, unfeeling

a stony stare

stonily

ˈstōn-ᵊl-ē 

adverb