stony

stony — adjective

1. describes land, soil, or a path that has many stones scattered through it or on

1.形容詞B1
釋義

describes land, soil, or a path that has many stones scattered through it or on its surface, making it rough and hard to walk or dig on

例句

The hiking trail through the mountains was so stony that Romi had to watch every step in her thin shoes.

collocation: stony trail / stony path

The stony soil in Beatriz's garden was so hard that she could barely dig with her shovel.

collocation: stony soil

同義詞
  • rocky

    more general; can describe terrain with large boulders, not just scattered small stones

  • pebbly

    specifically describes surfaces covered in small, smooth stones (pebbles), often on beaches

  • gravelly

    describes a surface covered in crushed or broken stones (gravel), common on driveways and paths

反義詞
  • smooth

    a surface without roughness or loose stones

  • sandy

    covered in sand rather than stones

文法句型

stony + noun (ground/path/soil/beach)

be + stony

用法筆記

Describes physical surfaces only — ground, paths, soil, beaches, riverbeds. Not used for individual loose stones (a single stone is just a stone, not 'stony').

常見錯誤

❌The path was stony with many small rocks.
✅The path was stony.
💡'stony' already means full of stones; adding 'with many small rocks' is redundant.
❌He threw a stony at the window.
✅He threw a stone at the window.
💡'stony' is an adjective, not a noun. The noun form is 'stone'.

2. describes a person's face, expression, or manner that is cold, hard, and shows n

2.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a person's face, expression, or manner that is cold, hard, and shows no warmth, sympathy, or emotion — like a person has turned their feelings to stone

例句

When Niran told his mother he had lost his job, her face remained stony and she said nothing.

remain + stony (predicative)

The company director listened to the complaints with a stony expression that gave nothing away.

attributive: stony expression

同義詞
  • cold

    broader meaning; can describe personality and behaviour in general, not just momentary expressions

  • expressionless

    focuses on the face showing no emotion at all, without the extra layer of coldness or hardness

  • stern

    specifically suggests disapproval or seriousness, rather than a complete absence of feeling

反義詞
  • warm

    friendly and showing positive feelings

  • expressive

    clearly showing one's emotions through facial expressions

  • kind

    caring and sympathetic towards others

文法句型

stony + noun (face/expression/silence/stare/look)

be + stony

remain + stony

用法筆記

Commonly pairs with nouns related to the face and communication: face, expression, look, stare, gaze, silence. Often appears in descriptions of anger, disapproval, or emotional shutdown rather than sadness.

常見錯誤

❌She gave him a stone face when he apologised.
✅She gave him a stony face / a stony expression when he apologised.
💡The adjective form is 'stony,' not 'stone,' when describing a facial expression.