variants
also stoney
as in stern
having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings
the judge's stony demeanor didn't raise the defendant's hopes for a more lenient sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stony
First discovered in Florida in 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease attacks the soft tissue of more than 30 different species of coral.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
Sifting through the stony soil of southern Sweden, archaeologists uncovered dozens of Viking-era structures and hundreds of artifacts.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
Her stony expression at this news indicates that Peter should maybe sleep with one eye open.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
The complexities of her character mirrored in her stony, resentful stare, in her grim, unforgiving mouth, will always baffle and enthrall.
—E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stony
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
Sifting through the stony soil of southern Sweden, archaeologists uncovered dozens of Viking-era structures and hundreds of artifacts.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
Her stony expression at this news indicates that Peter should maybe sleep with one eye open.
—Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
The complexities of her character mirrored in her stony, resentful stare, in her grim, unforgiving mouth, will always baffle and enthrall.
—E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for stony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stony
Adjective
-
As the bow and stern sections tore free from one another, the ship’s contents were ejected and rained down across the ocean floor, dispersing everything from luggage and dinnerware to engine parts and personal belongings.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
6 July 2025
-
Len, that character of a stern Englishman with a twinkle in his eye, felt like the core of what the show was.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
Adjective
-
Robert Shapiro, the first member and initial chair of OJ Simpson's defense team, gave a grim prediction regarding Diddy's potential sentence.—
Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
8 July 2025
-
In 2024, that number hit a heartbreaking 105 — a grim record for child drownings in the state, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF).—
Karen Cohn,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 July 2025
Adjective
-
As a member of a crew that robs banks, Mr. Blonde is the most ruthless.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 July 2025
-
President Donald Trump has mounted a ruthless onslaught on the checks and balances established in the Constitution.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Come spring, the Ranger III carries everything from outhouses and diesel fuel for the generators to construction supplies to repair whatever damage Mother Nature did to facilities over the harsh winter.—
Diana Lambdin Meyer,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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The United States and Europe must finally sever all economic ties with Russia (e.g., nuclear partnerships) and impose harsher sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions so that China and others face consequences for their support of the war.—
Laura Thornton,
Twin Cities,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Ipswich proved obdurate and then generous opponents — Newcastle’s 78 per cent possession was the highest by any team in a Premier League match this season — and their relegation was confirmed by this 3-0 defeat.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Whatever regime emerges could well be even more radical and obdurate.—
Bloomberg Opinion,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
From Hollywood's Golden Age and the '70s catastrophe obsession to today, these films have unearthed every pitiless corner of nature's wrath, from towering tsunamis and viral pandemics to all-out apocalypses and more.—
EW Staff Published,
EW.com,
3 July 2025
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They were born out of a pitiless epidemic, as a poignant yet futile attempt to allow his subjects to live forever on film.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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While Charlie Brown played things safe, Snoopy lived an exuberant life in his imagination, casting himself as a frustrated novelist, gleeful dancer, merciless attorney and even a prolific flying ace in a World War I Sopwith Camel.—
Chris Carra,
Smithsonian Magazine,
26 June 2025
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Players have openly voiced their struggles with its deep rough, lightning-fast greens, and merciless bunkers.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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With one out, however, Ohtani was thrown at the plate trying to score from third on Pages’ chopper up the line — making an aggressive, but proper, read in a game in which the Dodgers had long before conceded that runs would be tough to come by.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 July 2025
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The tough part is deciding between a leather sofa or a plush number made with performance fabric.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stony. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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