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

Famed for launching Downton Abbey, the network has been courting sale interest for well over a year, but for all the industry chatter and press speculation, ITV’s silence has been stony. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025

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

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