STONING Synonyms: 15 Similar and Opposite Words

stoning

verb

present participle of stone

as in sharpening

to make sharp or sharper the diorama showed a villager stoning a scythe

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stoning Public executions by stoning, burning or hanging were originally meant to show a wide audience the consequences of breaking the law for crimes ranging from adultery to robbery to murder. — Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026 Grubauer got the better of Zegras, though, stoning him in the shootout. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 The Taliban bans filming in public areas where flogging as well as stoning takes place, but MA says that individuals who oppose the practice have been discretely filming these events, then posting the video. — Ruchi Kumar, NPR, 8 Sep. 2026 Since no execution method has ever been declared unconstitutional, experts say the law technically allows any method imaginable, from hanging to stoning. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 16 July 2026 Human rights advocates said stonings continued and reports surfaced of stoning sentences afterward, though exact statistics weren’t publicly available. — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 26 Dec. 2025 Thompson returned the favor at the other end, stoning Sennecke off a two-on-one rush, but on the same shift Sennecke wouldn’t be denied again. — Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 6 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stoning

Verb

The Moon moves through practical Virgo, sharpening our eye for details, routines, and the small choices that make life easier.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Israel’s first election since the attack is sharpening anger over security failures and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while public discussion largely overlooks Palestinian civilians’ lives.

— Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharpening

Verb

For decades, junior accountants learned their trade by reconciling accounts, manually entering data, and grinding through the month-end close.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
This innovation—the mass manufacture of ammonia, vastly more efficient than scraping guano off remote islands or grinding mountains of bison bones—removed the most critical nutrient bottleneck in global agriculture.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of grinding

Browse Nearby Words

stoniness

stoning

stony

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“Stoning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stoning. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stoning

verb

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