stony

adjective

ˈstō-nē 

variants or less commonly stoney

stonier; stoniest

1

: abounding in or having the nature of stone : rocky

a stony path/ridge

2

a

: insensitive to pity or human feeling : obdurate

a stony heart

b

: manifesting no movement or reaction : expressionless

gave them a stony stare

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 of stony

• ruthless
• merciless
• hard
• harsh
• obdurate

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

Oscar Wilde, for example, reposes beneath a hulking deity whose iconoclastic castration, back in 1961, did little to restrain pilgrims seeking to smear red lips across his stony physique. —Emily Cox, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026

Instead of looking like a sleek urban loft, the room can quickly start to feel cold, stony, and impersonal. —Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026

This was audacious in an area dotted with stony, colonial farmhouses and quaint villages of Federal and Italianate homes. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 Apr. 2026

These conditions often yield mezcals with a savory backbone and a dry, stony finish. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2026

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