flinty

/flinty/

Definition

Adjective:
- Hard and unyielding in character or expression: Describes a person, their demeanor, or their gaze as being stern, cold, and showing no sympathy or softness.
- Containing or resembling flint: Describes something that is composed of or has the hard, sharp qualities of the stone flint.

Usage and Examples

Describing a person's character or expression:
- The manager's flinty resolve ensured the project was completed on time, despite the setbacks.
- She met the bad news with a flinty silence, refusing to show any emotion.
Describing a material or landscape:
- The soil in that region is flinty and difficult to farm.
- They hiked across a flinty plateau under the harsh sun.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

"Flinty" often implies a toughness that is admirable in contexts requiring resilience, but negative in contexts requiring compassion.
- His flinty determination was what the company needed during the crisis. (Positive connotation of strength)
- Her flinty response to the plea for help shocked everyone. (Negative connotation of coldness)
It can be used metaphorically to describe things that are harsh or unforgiving.
- The flinty reality of their situation finally dawned on them.

Variants and Related Words

Flint (n): A hard gray rock, a form of quartz, that produces sparks when struck against steel.
Flintlike (adj): Similar in meaning to "flinty," emphasizing hardness or unyielding quality.

Synonyms

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

A flinty heart: An idiom describing someone as very hard-hearted or unfeeling.
- The tyrant was said to have a flinty heart, unmoved by the suffering of his people.
A flinty gaze/stare: A common collocation describing a hard, piercing look.
- He fixed his opponent with a flinty stare.

Adjective

showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
- his flinty gaze
- the child's misery would move even the most obdurate heart
containing flint

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