steely

1 of 2

adjective

ˈstē-lē How to pronounce steely (audio)
steelier; steeliest
Synonyms of steelynext
1
: resembling or suggesting steel (as in hardness, color, strength, or coldness)
steely determination
steely blue
2
: made of steel
steeliness noun

steely

2 of 2

noun

less common spelling of steelie

: a playing marble made of steel

Synonyms of steely

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of steely in a Sentence

Adjective a thief with steely nerves He had a steely determination to succeed. She gave him a steely gaze. a sky filled with steely gray clouds the judge's steely blue eyes
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
Fly’s brand of rap, defined by spare, steely 808 beats and club shoutouts, was wildly popular, spawning nearly 50 mixtape volumes and many more songs since. — Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026 With a steely disposition, Dikha is seen in the videos standing at the very front of a thin boat, executing a repetitive series of dance moves as a line of rowers propel them through a river. — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026 The tough, steely competence of Anne Hathaway—the sense that her characters could shoulder the weight of the world, without complaint and on short notice—has been one of the more welcome recurring spectacles of this moviegoing year. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 The warts-and-all approach gives the film its steely edge and its steady insight. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for steely

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of steely was in 1509

Rhymes for steely

See All Rhymes for steely

Browse Nearby Words

steelworker
steely
steelyard
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steely. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

steely

adjective
ˈstē-lē How to pronounce steely (audio)
steelier; steeliest
1
: made of steel
2
: resembling steel (as in hardness or color)
a steely gaze
steeliness noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of southpaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All