Flinty

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈflɪnti/

Definitions

1. Having a very hard, unyielding, or stern character ; similar to flint in hardness or appearance, often gray and tough
2. Describing a person or thing as stern and resolute without softness ; composed of or like flint rock, hard and durable
3. Showing tough, inflexible qualities in nature or behavior ; made of or bearing the qualities of flint, a hard sedimentary rock

Etymology: Flint is one of the oldest hard materials people worked, a dark, glassy stone that breaks with a sharp edge, and English took the name from Old English "flint" (Proto-West Germanic in origin). Adding the suffix "-y" to make an adjective is a simple, transparent step: flinty means "made of flint" or "full of flint." The sense that matters here, stern in manner, follows the stone's own qualities. A flint is hard, unyielding and cold to the touch, and a person described as flinty is one who seems equally unbending. Flint's hardness also explains why the material was so valuable before metal tools. Flint knapped into blades and arrowheads, and the same hardness that made it useful made it a fitting image for a face or a heart that will not give way.

Synonyms: hard, unyielding, cruel

Antonyms: soft, gentle