Stony describes something hard and unfeeling, like stone itself. When someone gives you a stony stare, their face shows no warmth or friendliness, just cold blankness. A teacher might meet a weak excuse with stony silence, showing zero sympathy through their hard expression and lack of response.

The word literally means covered with stones or resembling stone. A stony beach has rocks instead of sand, making it uncomfortable for bare feet. A stony path might be difficult to walk on because of all the rocks.

But the metaphorical meaning is more common. When someone has a stony heart, they seem impossible to reach emotionally, as if their feelings were locked behind a wall of granite. A stony reception means people greet you coldly, without enthusiasm. You might describe someone as stony-faced when they refuse to show any emotion, keeping their expression as blank and hard as carved marble.

The word captures that particular quality of stone: unchanging, cold, and impenetrable. When you're trying to apologize to a friend and they remain stony, you know you'll need more than words to break through that barrier.