steelier; steeliest
1
: resembling or suggesting steel (as in hardness, color, strength, or coldness)
steely determination
steely blue
2
: made of steel
steeliness
noun
Synonyms
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
Paige Bueckers, Sarah Strong and the nation’s top offense on the road against the steely reigning champions.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
For a time, my mom and aunt’s tastes led me to believe that the best of the genre featured hyper-competent, successful, somewhat steely women, like FBI agent Gracie Hart or environmental lawyer Lucy Kelson, being slowly broken down by the promise of true and lasting love.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
President Donald Trump similarly made waves for his official headshot earlier this month — his steely glare, immortalized by his chief photographer Daniel Torok, was a far cry from the ear-to-grin captured in 2017.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
Thatcher gets to explore a few different directions for Iris over the course of Companion, including numbing dullness, canny super-expertise, and steely aggression on par with the Terminator.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for steely 
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Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025
For a time, my mom and aunt’s tastes led me to believe that the best of the genre featured hyper-competent, successful, somewhat steely women, like FBI agent Gracie Hart or environmental lawyer Lucy Kelson, being slowly broken down by the promise of true and lasting love.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
President Donald Trump similarly made waves for his official headshot earlier this month — his steely glare, immortalized by his chief photographer Daniel Torok, was a far cry from the ear-to-grin captured in 2017.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
Thatcher gets to explore a few different directions for Iris over the course of Companion, including numbing dullness, canny super-expertise, and steely aggression on par with the Terminator.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for steely
Dictionary Entries Near steely
Cite this Entry
“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steely. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
steely
adjective
steelier; steeliest
1
: made of steel
2
: resembling steel (as in hardness or color)
a steely gaze
steeliness
noun
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