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rubbly

rubbly

5.1
Covered with loose stones and broken pieces of rock
  • adjective
  • /ˈrʌbli/
translation icon : 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
63 1.0

Land that has many rocks or stones

is about loose broken rock pieces rather than whole solid rocks
rugged
vsrubbly
31 3.7

Land with a rough, uneven surface covered in rocks

specifies loose broken rubble rather than general roughness or unevenness
stony
vsrubbly
7 2.7

Ground that is full of rocks

focuses on loose broken fragments rather than being simply rocky overall
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
pebbled
vsrubbly
1 4.6

A surface covered in many small round bumps like tiny stones

refers to loose broken rock fragments rather than surface texture alone
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
detrital
vsrubbly
  • Specialized
9.6

Rock that is made of loose small pieces like sand

refers specifically to loose broken pieces forming rubble rather than general fragments
shingly
vsrubbly
8.5

A surface covered with small stones or pebbles

means loose broken rubble pieces rather than a surface of pebbles
cobbly
vsrubbly
  • UK
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
bouldery
vsrubbly
7.8

A place that is covered with many large rounded rocks

indicates loose broken rock pieces rather than large whole boulders
bouldered
vsrubbly
7.3

Having many large rocks on the surface

focuses on loose broken fragments rather than predominance of large boulders

How Rocky

rubbly
5.1
rocky
63 1.0
stony
7 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.