stony-hearted

A judge gave a stony-hearted verdict to the weeping defendant.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Lacking in sympathy or compassion: "stony-hearted" describes a person who is emotionally cold, unfeeling, and pitiless. The word suggests a heart as hard and unyielding as stone.

Usage Examples

• (The landlord showed no sympathy or mercy.)
• (Her response was completely lacking in compassion.)
• (His gaze was cold and unemotional.)

Advanced Usage

• "stony-hearted silence": a refusal to respond or show emotion, indicating coldness.

  • The committee's stony-hearted silence toward the homeless family's request was deeply disappointing. (Their refusal to engage or offer help was harsh.)

• "stony-hearted logic": reasoning that is coldly rational, without regard for human feelings.

  • The manager applied stony-hearted logic, cutting jobs without considering the personal impact. (He made decisions based solely on efficiency, ignoring empathy.)

Variants and Related Words

• Stony (adj): hard, unyielding, or emotionless (can describe a surface or a person's expression).
  • His stony face revealed nothing. (His expression was fixed and unreadable.)
• Heartless (adj): lacking kindness or feeling; cruel (synonymous in many contexts).
  • The heartless decision left the community in despair. (The decision was cold and uncaring.)
• Hard-hearted (adj): unfeeling; pitiless (a direct synonym).
  • Only a hard-hearted person could ignore such suffering. (Someone without compassion.)

Synonyms

• Pitiless: showing no mercy or pity.
  • The pitiless judge gave the harshest possible sentence. (The judge was unyielding.)
• Unfeeling: lacking emotional warmth or sensitivity.
  • His unfeeling remark hurt her deeply. (The comment showed no empathy.)
• Cold-blooded: deliberately cruel without emotion (often used for violent acts).
  • The cold-blooded murder shocked the nation. (The crime was committed without remorse.)

Related Idioms

• A heart of stone: a metaphor for someone who is extremely unemotional or cruel.
  • She has a heart of stone; nothing moves her to tears. (She is completely unfeeling.)
• Stone-cold: completely cold or emotionless (can describe a person or a reaction).
  • He gave a stone-cold response to her apology. (His reply was without warmth or forgiveness.)