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 The flat 30km strip of land sits on the steely Atlantic shore, yet its skies are luminous with colour. Angelina Villa-Clarke, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 That steely side bob belongs back on our televisions. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024 New Yorkers will also know that great things are often born from strength, solidarity, and steely determination, such as the beloved God’s Love We Deliver organization, which celebrated its Golden Heart Awards at the historic church on Monday evening. Freya Drohan, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2024 An accompanying music video carries through the steely grays and office settings of the Eusexua universe, with a dose of BDSM imagery thrown in. Walden Green, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for steely 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of steely was in 1509

Dictionary Entries Near steely

Cite this Entry

“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steely. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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