variants
or less commonly stoney
stonier; stoniest
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
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
High Street began to slope upward, and the terrain became stonier around the sides of the road as Revere and his horse, Brown Beauty, ascended Rock Hill.
—
Kostya Kennedy, Time, 16 Feb. 2026
The area is populated with stony terraces and narrow streets where bistros serve good Italian food (this being so close to the Italian border) and markets to shop for artisanal items.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Across this stony landscape, light sometimes falls.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
Forgotten animal pens, decaying cages and stony backdrops now sit in various states of abandonment.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stony
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Kostya Kennedy, Time, 16 Feb. 2026
The area is populated with stony terraces and narrow streets where bistros serve good Italian food (this being so close to the Italian border) and markets to shop for artisanal items.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Across this stony landscape, light sometimes falls.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026
Forgotten animal pens, decaying cages and stony backdrops now sit in various states of abandonment.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stony
Cite this Entry
“Stony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stony. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stony
adjective
variants
also stoney
stonier; stoniest
1
a
: full of stones
stony soil
b
: hard as stone
a stony seed
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