1
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
pinned them with a steely gaze and demanded to know what they were doing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grey
of the color gray
steely eyes that are the color of a stormy sky
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of steely
It has long been rumored that the two did not get along, and old interviews posted online purported to spotlight steely interactions between the two of them.
—
Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Piastri and his camp, led by steely former F1 racer Mark Webber, were frustrated with Alpine’s slow progress towards his F1 graduation.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
The threat to Charlie and especially Mia escalates with the arrival from Hong Kong of Fong’s mother Clarice, a steely crime matriarch played by an almost unrecognizable Yeo Yann Yann, so memorable in Anthony Chen’s gorgeous domestic drama, Ilo Ilo.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
Yet even with that freedom, baseball’s steely culture keeps change in check.
—John Cairney, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for steely
Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Piastri and his camp, led by steely former F1 racer Mark Webber, were frustrated with Alpine’s slow progress towards his F1 graduation.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
The threat to Charlie and especially Mia escalates with the arrival from Hong Kong of Fong’s mother Clarice, a steely crime matriarch played by an almost unrecognizable Yeo Yann Yann, so memorable in Anthony Chen’s gorgeous domestic drama, Ilo Ilo.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
Yet even with that freedom, baseball’s steely culture keeps change in check.
—John Cairney, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for steely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steely
Adjective
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Peter Capaldi - Twelfth Doctor From 2014-2017, a gruff and action-ready Peter Capaldi shredded an electric guitar through the TARDIS.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2025
-
Over a four-decade career that began with a role on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Lyonne has become known for portraying characters that are gruff but likable, hard-nosed but sympathetic.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Though adidas has recently dropped the Tokyo in metallic and neon colorways, this leather-and-suede version featuring a muted grey body is, in our eyes, a more adaptable choice.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
21 May 2025
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The officer saw a grey Cybertruck on fire, with an unbroken Molotov cocktail in an apple cider vinegar bottle lying nearby.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
And Hannah Waddingham gives a good, stern space-lady as the voice of the Galactic Grand Councilwoman.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
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In Kurosawa’s version, the chauffeur was an exceedingly meek man who got down on the floor to beg his stern shoe-manufacturer boss, played by the great Toshiro Mifune, to save his son.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Massa is slender and just 5 feet tall in her work boots, with strands of gray lightening her dark hair.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 May 2025
-
Beam supports virtual backgrounds, although the one for this call was the most boring kind of flat gray possible.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Their love and fierce loyalty toward one another is a high point of Season 2.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2025
-
Johnson’s selection came over the fierce opposition of some of the school’s staunchest supporters, who celebrate FAMU’s legacy of Black excellence, social mobility and cultural pride.—
Kate Payne,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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The upper pot leans dramatic, thanks to the contrast of the scarlet–trim silver leaves of 'Jurassic Dino Dragon Fruit’ rex begonia, which play off the variegated English ivy and shrubby everlasting.—
Mike Irvine,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 May 2025
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The actress paired her Dior little black dress with a pair of strappy sandal heels and accessorized with shimmering jewelry pieces, including a silver statement necklace.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The headlines may be grim, but history is generous to those who stay invested.—
John Buckingham,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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His face is grim, lacking the exuberance and devil-may-care attitude visible in earlier paintings.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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After a rugged childhood without electricity or indoor plumbing, Robertson earned a football scholarship to Louisiana Tech University.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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Groups were scaling the 30-foot steel border fence with rope ladders, or crawling through gaps sawed into the old steel mesh fencing, hundreds of people a day in a 20-mile stretch starting at the rugged mountainside of Mt. Cristo Rey.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steely. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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