stoniness

A judge's stoniness can be unsettling in the courtroom.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of being hard, unyielding, or emotionally cold: "stoniness" refers to a lack of warmth, sympathy, or responsiveness, often in a person's expression, gaze, or demeanor.
   • The state of being like stone in texture or appearance: "stoniness" can also describe the physical hardness or stony quality of an object or surface.

Usage Examples

• (Her cold and unyielding attitude.)
• (The hard, rocky texture of the path.)

Advanced Usage

• "to gaze with stoniness": to look at someone without emotion or warmth.
  • He stared at the accused with stoniness, showing no pity. (He looked with a cold, unfeeling expression.)

Variants and Related Words

• Stony (adj): hard as stone; emotionally cold or unfeeling.

  • Her stony silence frightened the children. (Her cold, silent manner.)

• Stone (n): a hard, solid, non-metallic mineral matter.

  • The building was made of stone. (The material.)

Synonyms

• Coldness: lack of warmth or emotion.
• Hardness: quality of being firm and unyielding.
• Unfeelingness: lack of sensitivity or sympathy.

Related Idioms

• "Stone-faced": having an expressionless or emotionless face.

  • The guard remained stone-faced throughout the interrogation. (He showed no emotion.)

• "A heart of stone": a cold, unfeeling nature.

  • She ignored his pleas; she had a heart of stone. (She was completely unsympathetic.)