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.
The region's cool climate, high diurnal temperature range, and stony, well-draining soils are ideal for enhancing the aromatic profile and maintaining the grape’s natural acidity. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025 Stein derives from the word stone in German and refers to the stony soils found in this vineyard. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2025 Sam Teicher, chief reef officer at Coral Vita, emphasized in an email interview that decades of degradation have wiped out at least 80% of the Bahamas' coral reefs, a crisis exacerbated by events like Hurricane Dorian and the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease. Emese MacZko, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 There was some stony silence that seemed to annoy Trump. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 8 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 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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