stony

See also: Stony

English

From Middle English stony, stoni, stani, from Old English stāniġ, stǣniġ (“stony, rocky”), from Proto-Germanic *stainagaz (“stony”), equivalent to stone +‎ -y. Cognate with Scots stany (“stony”), West Frisian stienich (“stony”), Dutch stenig (“stony, metalled”), German steinig (“stony, rocky, gravelly”), Swedish stenig (“stony, rocky, pebbly”).

stony (comparative stonier, superlative stoniest)

As hard as stone.
Synonym: rock-hard

Antonym: soft
Containing or made up of stones.
Synonyms: pebbly, rocky, shingly

a stony path
(figuratively) Of a person, lacking warmth and emotion.
Synonyms: cold, cool, hard-hearted, heartless, impassive, unemotional, unfeeling

Antonyms: passionate, warm
(figuratively) Of an action or expression such as a look, showing no warmth of emotion.
Synonyms: cold, cool, frosty, unwelcoming

Antonyms: welcoming, warm

She gave him a stony reception.
- 1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, OCLC 1000449192, page 264:
  o’er the heaps of dead, / Whose stony eyes glared in the morning light, / I trod; […]
(UK and Australia, slang) Short for stony broke: without any money.
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:impoverished
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], OCLC 560090630:
  Seriously, Dedalus. I’m stony. Hurry out to your school kip and bring us back some money.

hard as stone

containing stones

of a person

of an action

broke — see broke

stony

“stōnī, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-10.

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