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.
There's also an interesting shot toward the end of the trailer with Ben Grimm sporting what appears to be a stony beard as the Human Torch carries him. Michileen Martin, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025 His stony reaction to the red card in the moment did not betray any sense of injustice. Liam Twomey, New York Times, 21 June 2025 Their average vine has 30 years of age and is planted in stony limestone soils. Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 12 June 2025 The steep, stony ground made cultivation challenging. Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Stony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stony. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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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