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stony

stony

7 2.7
Ground that is full of rocks
  • adjective
  • /ˈstoʊni/
translation icon : piedroso
  • Both islands were steep and stony, surrounded by rocks and shoals.
  • stony meteorite
  • stony chondrite
  • stony hill

No tree or thorn or blade of grass grew in the Stony earth under the unsetting stars.

Examples

  • No tree or thorn or blade of grass grew in the Stony earth under the unsetting stars.

  • Tree roots, wildly splayed over the stony ground, seemed to quicken and quiver in the dim light.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Off to the west, he had noticed a stony gray island that seemed more substantial than the rest.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • England, Africa, California; stony islands alive with seals; the coast of Florida.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I followed her down the stony path and then up the pine-covered hill to the stream.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The dining hall had a stony floor, and the walls and ceiling were of rough unfinished rock.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Cabin one rested on a stony hill overlooking the black shore of the lake.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The region's soil is mostly too stony for cultivation, but it is suitable for cattle ranching.

  • Tree roots, wildly splayed over the stony ground, seemed to quicken and quiver in the dim light.

  • Green slopes on either side rise to stony mountaintops flecked with snow even on the hottest days.

Synonyms

rocky
vsstony
63 1.0

Land that has many rocks or stones

is the same idea but phrased in a more basic way
rugged
vsstony
31 3.7

Land with a rough, uneven surface covered in rocks

stresses surface roughness rather than simply being full of stones
pebbly
vsstony
1 3.2

Covered with many small round stones

means stone coverage but not necessarily large or angular rocks
gravelly
vsstony
1 3.9

Covered with many small stones that crunch underfoot

focuses on small loose stones rather than large solid rocks
rubbly
vsstony
5.1

Covered with loose stones and broken pieces of rock

focuses on whole stones rather than loose broken fragments
shingly
vsstony
8.5

A surface covered with small stones or pebbles

refers to general stone coverage not limited to small pieces
cobbly
vsstony
  • UK
7.1

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

describes natural stone coverage rather than constructed paving

Antonyms

866 1.0

Free from things that block sight or movement

256 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

Compounds

stony coral
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A sea animal that makes a hard skeleton and builds reefs

stony-broke
  • Informal
1 9.3

With no money at all

How Stony

bouldered
7.3
rocky
63 1.0
stony
7 2.7
gravelly
1 3.9
sandy
34 1.0

Surface Forms

stony positive

Morphology

stony = stone (transparent) = stone + y

Formed from 'stone' + '-y' meaning 'full of or characterized by stones', which is directly deducible by learners.

Etymology

Stony comes from the old English word stone plus the ending -y, where -y means 'full of'. So stony literally meant 'full of stones', which is why we use it for land or ground covered in rocks.