# stony

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈstəʊni/ · frequency rank #19,707

## Definitions
1. As hard as stone.
2. Containing or made up of stones.
3. Lacking warmth and emotion.
4. Showing no warmth of emotion; (usually also) emotionally cold, silent, and motionless or nearly so.
5. Ellipsis of stony broke: without any money.

## Etymology
From Middle English stony, stoni, stani, from Old English stāniġ, stǣniġ (“stony, rocky”), from Proto-Germanic *stainagaz (“stony”), equivalent to stone + -y. Cognate with Scots stany (“stony”), West Frisian stienich (“stony”), Dutch stenig (“stony, metalled”), German steinig (“stony, rocky, gravelly”), Swedish stenig (“stony, rocky, pebbly”).

## Easily confused with
- **stop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stop)
- **stun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stun)
- **stow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stow)
- **SUNY** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-suny)
- **story** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-story)
- **study** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-study)
- **store** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-store)
- **storm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-storm)
- **stood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stood)
- **stops** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stops)
- **sunny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-sunny)
- **stunt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stunt)
- **stray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stray)
- **stove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stove)
- **stool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stool)
- **stout** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stout)
- **stung** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stung)
- **stoop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stoop)
- **Stowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stowe)
- **stork** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stony-vs-stork)

## Common misspellings (8)
`sotny`, `sstony`, `stnoy`, `stonny`, `stonyy`, `stoyn`, `sttony`, `tsony`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stony