Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "stony" [ston•y]

  • Covered with or full of stones: a stony beach. (adjective)
  • Resembling stone, as in hardness. (adjective)
  • Hardhearted and unfeeling; unemotional. (adjective)
  • Exhibiting no feeling or warmth; impassive: a stony expression. (adjective)
  • Emotionally numbing or paralyzing: a stony feeling of fear. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "stony" in a sentence
  • "In the half-light his face was as still as a wax mannequins, his eyes unblinking, his expression stony."
  • ""This next one is what we call a stony-iron meteorite.""
  • "That means a venue where the audience doesn't get the jokes and sits there in stony silence as the comedian at the mike goes through his routine."