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
Or a steely rationalist, girding for continuous summer?
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 July 2025
The conversation between him and David Carradine’s Bill, however, once again taps into that same steely, slow-and-low vibe that Marvin parlayed into an entire career, and was the he-man crown Madsen should have been the heir to.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2025
Like Nielsen, Emmy winner Robert Stack became a master of deadpan late in his career, famously spoofing his own steely demeanor as Captain Rex Kramer in Airplane!.
—Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 2 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for steely
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 8 July 2025
The conversation between him and David Carradine’s Bill, however, once again taps into that same steely, slow-and-low vibe that Marvin parlayed into an entire career, and was the he-man crown Madsen should have been the heir to.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2025
Like Nielsen, Emmy winner Robert Stack became a master of deadpan late in his career, famously spoofing his own steely demeanor as Captain Rex Kramer in Airplane!.
—Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 2 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for steely
Cite this Entry
“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steely. Accessed 13 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share