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rubbly

rubbly

1 5.1
Covered with loose stones and broken pieces of rock
  • adjective
  • /ˈrʌbli/
: rocoso
  • rubbly steep

Examples

  • The point I'd marked in my head, shit, it wasn't there, just this huge field of rubbly snow, heavy as wet cement.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • With six picked soldiers of his company, Don Kishote went edging along the south ridge on a narrow outcrop, where poor rubbly footing and deep drops on either side made for slow going, toward an emplacement that was pouring out bright noisy volleys.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The hiker carefully stepped over the rubbly terrain, trying not to lose his balance.

  • Driving along the rubbly path made for a bumpy ride, but the views were worth it.

  • They navigated the rubbly hillside with caution, as loose stones could easily cause a fall.

Synonyms

rocky
vsrubbly
60 1.0

Land that has many rocks or stones

is about loose broken rock pieces rather than whole solid rocks
rugged
vsrubbly
33 3.7

Land with a rough, uneven surface covered in rocks

specifies loose broken rubble rather than general roughness or unevenness
stony
vsrubbly
6 2.7

Ground that is full of rocks

focuses on loose broken fragments rather than being simply rocky overall
pebbled
vsrubbly
2 4.6

A surface covered in many small round bumps like tiny stones

refers to loose broken rock fragments rather than surface texture alone
gravelly
vsrubbly
1 3.9

Covered with many small stones that crunch underfoot

emphasizes broken rock fragments rather than mainly small stones or gravel
pebbly
vsrubbly
1 3.2

Covered with many small round stones

involves loose broken rock pieces not just small rounded stones
rudaceous
vsrubbly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Rock made of many large broken pieces

has loose broken rock pieces specifically as rubble rather than intact rock
bouldered
vsrubbly
1 7.3

Having many large rocks on the surface

focuses on loose broken fragments rather than predominance of large boulders
detrital
vsrubbly
  • Specialized
1 9.6

Rock that is made of loose small pieces like sand

refers specifically to loose broken pieces forming rubble rather than general fragments
bouldery
vsrubbly
1 7.8

A place that is covered with many large rounded rocks

indicates loose broken rock pieces rather than large whole boulders
cobbly
vsrubbly
  • UK
1 7.1

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

is made of loose broken rock pieces rather than arranged cobbles
shingly
vsrubbly
1 8.5

A surface covered with small stones or pebbles

means loose broken rubble pieces rather than a surface of pebbles

How Rocky

rubbly
1 5.1
rocky
60 1.0
stony
6 2.7
pebbly
1 3.2

Surface Forms

rubbly positive

Morphology

rubbly = rubble (transparent) = rubble + y

The adjective is directly formed from the noun 'rubble' with the productive suffix '-y' meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by'.

Etymology

Rubbly comes from rubble, a word for loose, broken stones, plus the ending -y meaning 'full of' or 'covered with'. So a rubbly place is 'full of rubble', like a path covered in small stones after a landslide.