stony
- 01 B1 Intermediate
covered with or full of small rocks and stones.
abounding in or consisting of stones; physically rocky.
Simple“The stony path made it difficult for the children to walk in their sandals.”
In context“The hikers struggled to maintain their footing on the stony ridge, where loose shale shifted under every step.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
showing no emotion or being very unfriendly, especially in a way that feels cold.
showing a lack of emotion or sympathy; cold, rigid, or unresponsive in expression.
Simple“He greeted my suggestion with a stony silence that made me feel unwelcome.”
In context“The witness maintained a stony expression throughout the cross-examination, refusing to let any hint of guilt or fear show on his face.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
having no money at all.
a shortened form of 'stony broke', indicating a complete lack of financial resources.
Simple“I'd love to go to the cinema, but I'm absolutely stony until payday.”
In context“After a week of expensive dinners and shopping, the students found themselves stony and unable to afford the train fare home.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
very hard, like a rock.
possessing a physical hardness or texture comparable to stone.
Simple“The bread had been left out so long it had become stony and inedible.”
In context“The ancient soil had been baked by the sun into a stony crust that no plough could penetrate.”
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.