as in strength
strength of spirit; ability to continue despite difficulties
He showed his mettle as a fighter tonight with a heroic comeback.
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Recent Examples of mettle
But while Dent made his magic, UCLA showed its mettle in the second half.
—
Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Vendors will sell arts and crafts and other items, and a mechanical bull will be there to test guests’ mettle.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
When the Nuggets face the Thunder on the road Monday, their mettle will be at stake.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
In this scenario, the CJNG would fracture into smaller, warring factions, producing more obscene levels of bloodshed as potential replacements try to prove their mettle.
—Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mettle
Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Vendors will sell arts and crafts and other items, and a mechanical bull will be there to test guests’ mettle.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
When the Nuggets face the Thunder on the road Monday, their mettle will be at stake.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
In this scenario, the CJNG would fracture into smaller, warring factions, producing more obscene levels of bloodshed as potential replacements try to prove their mettle.
—Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mettle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mettle
Noun
-
That Smith’s work remains little-known is all the more baffling considering the strength and depth of a retrospective now up at Keith de Lellis.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
His teammates often marvel at his strength both in the weight room and in team drills.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Kids will learn how to do circus tricks and build stamina along the way.—
Jessie Dax-Setkus,
Oc Register,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Even up 4-1 in the final 15 minutes, the Rapids kept pushing past the limits of stamina to find a fifth goal, both in the press and in the buildup.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a social media post on Monday morning, Kuwait said a service building at a power generation and water desalination plant were damaged in an attack Sunday evening, killing one worker.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
-
In January, another Polymarket account won big by betting that Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, would soon be out of power.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The farmworkers' rights movement has always been powered by courage, by people willing to endure, to speak out, to demand dignity in the face of injustice.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
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But if worthiness is measured by the courage to lead, the humility to listen, the wisdom to hold complexity and the sacred responsibility of walking with people through joy, loss and transformation, then women’s rabbinic leadership has already outgrown the narrow metrics of any centralized system.—
Rabba Sara Hurwitz,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mettle. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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