steady

1 of 4

adjective

steadier; steadiest
1
a
: direct or sure in movement : unfaltering
a steady hand
b
: firm in position : fixed
held the pole steady
c
: keeping nearly upright in a seaway
a steady ship
2
: showing little variation or fluctuation : stable, uniform
a steady breeze
steady prices
3
a
: not easily disturbed or upset
steady nerves
b(1)
: constant in feeling, principle, purpose, or attachment
steady friends
(2)
c
: not given to dissipation : sober
steadily adverb
steadiness noun

steady

2 of 4

verb

steadied; steadying

transitive verb

: to make or keep steady

intransitive verb

: to become steady
steadier noun

steady

3 of 4

adverb

1
: in a steady manner : steadily
2
: on the course set
used as a direction to the helmsman of a ship

steady

4 of 4

noun

plural steadies
: one that is steady
specifically : a boyfriend or girlfriend with whom one goes steady
Choose the Right Synonym for steady

steady, even, equable mean not varying throughout a course or extent.

steady implies lack of fluctuation or interruption of movement.

steady progress

even suggests a lack of variation in quality or character.

an even distribution

equable implies lack of extremes or of sudden sharp changes.

maintain an equable temper

Examples of steady in a Sentence

Adjective She used a tripod to keep the camera steady. Painting takes a steady hand and a good eye. Prices have remained steady over the last month. He finally has a steady job. They do a steady business at the restaurant. There has been a steady increase in prices. I am making steady progress on refinishing the basement. There was a steady rain all day. We've received a steady stream of donations. Verb He steadied the gun and fired. She used a tripod to steady the camera. The doctor gave her medication to help steady her heart rate. Her heart rate had been erratic but eventually steadied. Prices have steadied in recent months.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The world is highly detailed, with long draw distances and a steady frame rate that keeps motion smooth for the most part. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024 The Fed keeps interest rates at 23-year high for the fifth time The Federal Reserve held its key interest rate steady Wednesday for the fifth consecutive meeting, as the central bank awaits more data to determine when to cut rates, reports my colleague Bryan Mena. Krystal Hur, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Japan holds steady in second place with sales growing 7.6% in 2023. Richard Smirke, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024 Her Audrey is crisp: All the heels and animal prints in the world couldn’t disguise her steady practicality. Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 At a Wednesday press conference, Chair Jerome Powell pointed to stubbornly persistent inflation in January and February's to explain the decision to hold rates steady, adding that the central bank doesn't want to cut prematurely and risk a flare-up of inflation. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024 Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024 The widespread expectation is for the central bank to hold its main interest rate steady at its highest level since 2001. Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 Listen to our daily D.C. forecasts: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Echo | More options Through Tonight: Any waves of steady rain don’t last too far into the evening but may get briefly heavier before turning showery closer to and after midnight. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
Related article Brides and grooms have a new place to register for wedding gifts Overall, consumer prices have somewhat steadied since then. Samantha Delouya, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 Suddenly, the dancers throw themselves protectively around the boy as a flash of light momentarily floods the stage and the ballet winds back to the moment of death; the boy falls to the floor and the father drops to his knees, takes the boy’s hand, and steadies his gaze. Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Meta Platforms also steadied itself and rose 1.2% a day after sliding 1.6%. Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2024 But India steadied and just found a way even when pushed to the brink. Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Jassy’s mission to steady the company has been successful. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2024 His first hire was to bring in a proven old veteran, a respected guru, Wade Phillips, as his defensive coordinator to steady the ship while Sean got his sea legs. Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2024 But Williams' return steadied his alma mater, and by decade's end, the Tar Heels had won two titles and spent 26 weeks at No. 1. Aaron Beard, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 Even the dancers dropped away, and in the VIP area, only those who needed to steady themselves after another shot of tequila touched the pole. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 9 Feb. 2024
Adverb
There are a few different ways to measure Americans’ steady turn against the death penalty. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 22 Dec. 2022 Slow and steady won the race to Reba McEntire's heart. Brianne Tracy, Peoplemag, 19 Oct. 2022 The pivot came amid strong messages from Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to public universities to hold college tuition steady this year to ease the impact of inflation on Virginia families. Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2022 Despite the slowing of sales in June, Norton said second quarter sales held steady compared to last year due to strong sales at the beginning of the quarter. Scott Turner | Sturner@al.com, al, 26 July 2022 The system worked great in busy traffic, staying steady around corners at 75 mph and smoothly changing lanes on its own. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 10 May 2022 Jensen’s Schoenstein thinks that’s unlikely for steady-growing Microsoft. Anne Sraders, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2021 Like a steady-flowing river, WANs deliver continuous service, even during peak hours. David Joosten, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2021 Zucchini also contains magnesium, another important mineral that helps keep heart rhythm steady. Stefani Sassos, Ms, Rdn, Cso, Good Housekeeping, 28 Apr. 2021
Noun
The state’s biggest health system had unrivaled clout with doctors and insurers, guaranteeing a steady of flow of patients. Globe Columnist, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2023 Make sure to keep your pelvis steady and your back straight. Mallory Creveling, Health, 23 Feb. 2023 LeBron is living proof that to the steady goes the race. cleveland, 2 Feb. 2023 Lucid sold other shares to other groups, but the deal kept the PIF's overall investment in Lucid steady, at around 62 percent, according to CNBC. Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 30 Jan. 2023 But the Scenic Eclipse's cutting-edge oversize stabilizers held her steady. Christopher P. Baker, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2022 Lue has had the steady of hand of starting point guard Reggie Jackson to help steer the Clippers along with center Ivica Zubac. Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2022 Keeping the price steady could help in an economy that's still dealing with the ongoing pandemic, but Xbox's strategy is less focused on selling new hardware than Sony's (SNE). Shannon Liao, CNN, 9 Sep. 2020 Officials voted to hold their benchmark rate steady in a range between 1.5% and 1.75% at the meeting after cutting it by a quarter percentage point at each of its previous three meetings. Nick Timiraos, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2020

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English stedy, from stede

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adverb

circa 1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1792, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of steady was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near steady

Cite this Entry

“Steady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steady. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

steady

1 of 4 adjective
steadier; steadiest
1
a
: firm in position : fixed
b
: direct or sure in movement
took steady aim
2
a
: regular entry 1 sense 3, uniform
a steady pace
b
: not changing much : stable
steady prices
3
a
: not easily moved or upset : resolute
b
: constant in feeling, principle, purpose, or attachment : dependable
steadily adverb
steadiness noun

steady

2 of 4 verb
steadied; steadying
: to make, keep, or become steady

steady

3 of 4 adverb
: in a steady manner : steadily

steady

4 of 4 noun
plural steadies
: one that is steady
especially : a boyfriend or girlfriend with whom one goes steady

More from Merriam-Webster on steady

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