stony

play

adjective \ ˈstō-nē \

variants: or less commonly stoney

Definition of stony

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

play \ˈstō-nə-lē\ adverb

—

stoniness

play \ˈstō-nē-nəs\ noun

See stony defined for English-language learners

See stony defined for kids

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 of stony from the Web

Yes to fresh lobster by the bay, yes to walks through the pines and yes to wading through the salty, stony shores along Acadia National Park.

— sally higginson, chicagotribune.com, "Higginson: An Uber rain delay," 20 July 2017
Notes of white peach, apricot, honeysuckle and a stony minerality will soften the spice of the sambal oelek in the dish, while the high acid finish of the wine will complement the richness of the oysters.

— michael austin, chicagotribune.com, "What wines to drink with grilled seafood," 12 July 2017
Look upon its stony facade and know that someone is inside that immense place, swimming lonely laps or lying on the roof terrace, gazing up at the mottled night sky and thinking of orphans.

— richard lawson, Vanities, "Will This Be the Fanciest Home in the West Village?," 11 July 2017
Look upon its stony facade and know that someone is inside that immense place, swimming lonely laps or lying on the roof terrace, gazing up at the mottled night sky and thinking of orphans.

— vanityfair.com, "Will This Be the Fanciest Home in the West Village?," 11 July 2017
Similarly, fleeing limpets and chitons navigated stony surfaces with the fascinating rapidity of ice forming across a winter pond.

— clark fair, Alaska Dispatch News, "Colorful kaleidoscope of marine life in Homer tidepools," 8 July 2017
A diver swims above a garden of stony corals on the Great Barrier Reef, which is more than 1,250 miles long.

— rachel brown, National Geographic, "Watch: Sea Turtle Snacks on Jellyfish Tentacles," 27 June 2017
Colorful sponges cover their stony faces and layers of vibrant coral grow around their shape.

— don jaucian, CNN, "Art Basel 2017: Hypnotic underwater procession tackles climate change," 16 June 2017
Zornio said her father’s initial reaction to her plans — stony silence — has just begun to yield to acceptance.

— melissa healy, latimes.com, "Patricia Zornio, a biomedical researcher from a family of Trump supporters, hopes to stand up for science in the Senate," 15 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stony.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.