STONY Synonyms: 112 Similar and Opposite Words

stony

adjective

ˈstō-nē

variants also stoney

Definition of stony

as in ruthless

having or showing a lack of sympathy or tender feelings the judge's stony demeanor didn't raise the defendant's hopes for a more lenient sentence

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stony In a vast stony tract of desert a three-hour drive south of Cairo, tucked between jagged black mountains and the glittering Gulf of Suez, a group of Chinese engineers is quietly rewiring Egypt’s energy strategy. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 14 Apr. 2026 Hikers can traverse the stony beds of Cliffy Creek and snap photos of the park's four iconic waterfalls. — Joie Probst, Midwest Living, 10 Apr. 2026 But his landscape paintings of the stony canyons and craggy cliffs that define this part of the country seem to be everywhere these days. — Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for stony

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stony

Adjective

However, claiming his birthright means surviving the Renaissance’s most ruthless rival — his own family, who refuse to accept him.

— Peter White, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
The higher Arsenal climb, the finer those margins become, and the more ruthless Arteta and Arsenal may have to be.

— James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruthless

Adjective

Sunday’s game was the first time since Cunningham was taken down by the Sky’s DiJonai Carrington on a hard foul on a fast break earlier this month.

— Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Other majors, such as engineering, with its extensive math requirements, have been harder to shrink.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of hard

Adjective

Possibly this was the case at élite law schools in the nineteen-nineties, where even the most obdurate deans could not afford to ignore their militant students indefinitely.

— Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Iran, with its massive military capabilities, its oil wealth, its appetite for regional hegemony and its obdurate Islamism may have been the foremost obstacle to Israel’s integration into the region since 1979.

— Ron Kampeas, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026

Definition of obdurate

Browse Nearby Words

stoning

stony

stonyhearted

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“Stony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stony. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of stony

adjective

Example Sentences

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