steelier; steeliest
1
: resembling or suggesting steel (as in hardness, color, strength, or coldness)
steely determination
steely blue
2
: made of steel
steeliness noun

Examples of steely in a Sentence

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.
An underused Baranski delivers her usual dazzle as Victoria, and Kidman once again commits fully to the steely Russian enigma known as Masha. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 19 May 2025 Then came the Ravel, played with a steely determination to get through the not-ideal circumstances. Anastasia Tsioulcas, New York Times, 19 May 2025 Even with his steely determination, Fitzpatrick knows that Scheffler is a different beast when he's locked in. Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 May 2025 Not so in Greta Gerwig’s spirited retelling, in which she’s played with steely determination by Laura Dern. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for steely

Word History

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of steely was in 1509

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steely. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

steely

adjective
steelier; steeliest
1
: made of steel
2
: resembling steel (as in hardness or color)
a steely gaze
steeliness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on steely

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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