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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ Harsh sound 🪨 Full of small stones
gravelly

gravelly

1 3.9
Covered with many small stones that crunch underfoot
  • adjective
  • /ˈɡrævəli/
translation icon : gravoso
  • The bow of the little boat bumped the gravelly shore of the far side of the canal.
  • gravelly soil
  • gravelly trail
  • gravelly road

I like a real gravelly, nuggety black pepper grind so that when you bite into a little Shard of it, you're really getting that pepper heat.

Examples

  • A small block, which had been sweeping toward the gravelly shore, shuddered to a sudden halt.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • "They're not, until they interfere with my town," Phin said as the Volvo bumped down the gravelly road.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • At last she found Alice trying to drive a beanpole firmly into the gravelly soil of the residents' garden.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The soil was a sandy clay with a gravelly subsoil and an erosion hazard.

    Blog text (27)

  • Around him, scrubby wormwood clung to the thin gravelly soil.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Neon lights were blinking in the bright sunshine, and ahead of us, the MGM Grand rose greenly from the gravelly desert.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Small summer storms and their associated swells kicked up sediment in the mostly sandy, gravelly cove where the pens were situated.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The trail was rough and gravelly, making it difficult to walk on.

  • He drove carefully along the gravelly road to avoid damaging his car.

  • They set up camp beside a gravelly bank by the river.

Synonyms

rocky
vsgravelly
63 1.0

Land that has many rocks or stones

refers to smaller loose stones rather than areas dominated by large rocks
stony
vsgravelly
7 2.7

Ground that is full of rocks

emphasizes smaller loose stones rather than larger consolidated stones
pebbly
vsgravelly
1 3.2

Covered with many small round stones

focuses more on loose coarse small stones instead of rounded smooth stones
shingly
vsgravelly
8.5

A surface covered with small stones or pebbles

is similar but refers to loose coarse small stones rather than rounded pebbles
gravelike
vsgravelly
6.8

Having a rough, gritty feel like small stones

denotes actual coverage by loose small stones rather than just resemblance
rubbly
vsgravelly
5.1

Covered with loose stones and broken pieces of rock

means loose small intact stones rather than broken rock debris
cobbly
vsgravelly
  • UK
7.1

A street or path covered with round stones that is hard to walk on

describes loose small stones on the ground rather than larger paving stones

Antonyms

smooth
256 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

paved
1 1.3

Covered with a hard surface like concrete or stones to allow walking and driving

How Rough

rocky
63 1.0
stony
7 2.7
gravelly
1 3.9
pebbly
1 3.2
smooth
256 1.0

Surface Forms

gravelly positive
gravelier comparative
gravelliest superlative

Morphology

gravelly = gravel (transparent) = gravel + ly

Direct adjectival formation from the noun 'gravel' meaning 'covered with or containing gravel', which is straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Gravelly comes from the word gravel, which means 'small stones', so a gravelly surface is one that is covered in or full of those little stones.