variants
or less commonly stoney
stonier; stoniest
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
Synonyms
- affectless
- callous
- case-hardened
- cold-blooded
- compassionless
- desensitized
- hard
- hard-boiled
- hard-hearted
- heartless
- indurate
- inhuman
- inhumane
- insensate
- insensitive
- ironhearted
- merciless
- obdurate
- pachydermatous
- pitiless
- remorseless
- ruthless
- slash-and-burn
- soulless
- stonyhearted
- take-no-prisoners
- thick-skinned
- uncharitable
- unfeeling
- unmerciful
- unsparing
- unsympathetic
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
Playing the stony henchman who very gradually emits flickers of affection for his reluctant mark has brought the actor, already famous in his motherland, international visibility and a place in the awards conversation.
—
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2024
But some people encounter my stony glare and ask if the sun is bothering me.
—Sarah Garfinkel, The New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2024
These vines, rooted deep in the stony soil, embody the character of the land and its native flora.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Some trails that probe this stony playground are Granite Gardens, Constellation, Centennial and Watson Lake Loop.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stony 
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Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2024
But some people encounter my stony glare and ask if the sun is bothering me.
—Sarah Garfinkel, The New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2024
These vines, rooted deep in the stony soil, embody the character of the land and its native flora.
—John Mariani, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Some trails that probe this stony playground are Granite Gardens, Constellation, Centennial and Watson Lake Loop.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stony
Dictionary Entries Near stony
Cite this Entry
“Stony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stony. Accessed 18 Dec. 2024.
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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