rocky
1 Americanadjective
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inclined or likely to rock; tottering; shaky; unsteady.
-
difficult or uncertain; full of hazards or obstacles.
a business with a rocky future.
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physically unsteady or weak, as from sickness.
adjective
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consisting of or abounding in rocks
a rocky shore
-
hard or unyielding
rocky determination
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hard like rock
rocky muscles
adjective
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weak, shaky, or unstable
-
informal (of a person) dizzy; sickly; nauseated
Other Word Forms
- rockily adverb
- rockiness noun
Etymology
Origin of rocky1
First recorded in 1400–50; rock 1 + -y 1 ( def. )
Origin of rocky2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some of these frozen worlds, including Saturn's moon Enceladus, are believed to contain vast oceans of liquid water trapped between their icy crust and rocky interiors.
From Science Daily
Having driven up to Llyn Teifi in the Cambrian mountains, we stand on a bridge, surrounded by rocky outcrops and marshland.
From BBC
The bodies of two young men were found on a rocky ridge on Wales' highest mountain after they were reported missing, an inquest has heard.
From BBC
The steep, rocky terrain forced them to leave the river and approach the loud noise from the side.
From Literature
There was a dusty little road leading into the woods, but soon it became a narrow, rocky trail, which twisted and wound until I thought I might be going in circles.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
