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
That journey includes a flirtation with steely race engineer Kate McKenna (Condon, 42) and push-back from brash teammate Joshua Pearce (Idris, 33).
—
Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 27 June 2025
The film also distinguishes itself from earlier noir paradigms by choosing a main character whose teen idol-like appearance differed from the steely and strong-jawed features of those characters that previously dominated the genre.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Sometimes, a slow heartbeat and a steely resolve are even bigger advantages.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Painting broadly on a still relatively fresh canvas, Boone expresses an endearing willingness to grow his craft but also a steely reverence to painfully obvious points of reference.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for steely
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Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 27 June 2025
The film also distinguishes itself from earlier noir paradigms by choosing a main character whose teen idol-like appearance differed from the steely and strong-jawed features of those characters that previously dominated the genre.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Sometimes, a slow heartbeat and a steely resolve are even bigger advantages.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Painting broadly on a still relatively fresh canvas, Boone expresses an endearing willingness to grow his craft but also a steely reverence to painfully obvious points of reference.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for steely
Cite this Entry
“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steely. Accessed 12 Jul. 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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