as in strength
strength of spirit; ability to continue despite difficulties
He showed his mettle as a fighter tonight with a heroic comeback.
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Recent Examples of mettle
The upset of Georgia represents a real breakthrough for a 12-8 Longhorn team yearning to find some consistency and defensive mettle and still make something of his up-and-down season.
—
Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2026
Weekends, however, test their mettle.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
Our editors and contributors tested these at AD headquarters and within their home offices to test their mettle, recording their takeaways after at least a month (in most cases, several months) of sitting, rolling, and .
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 Jan. 2026
Experienced mountaineers can test their mettle and summit Mount Washington—one of the tallest mountains in the east with an elevation of 6,288 feet—with Northeast Mountaineering (from $375).
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mettle
Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2026
Weekends, however, test their mettle.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2026
Our editors and contributors tested these at AD headquarters and within their home offices to test their mettle, recording their takeaways after at least a month (in most cases, several months) of sitting, rolling, and .
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 Jan. 2026
Experienced mountaineers can test their mettle and summit Mount Washington—one of the tallest mountains in the east with an elevation of 6,288 feet—with Northeast Mountaineering (from $375).
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mettle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mettle
Noun
-
Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and maintain bone strength.—
Zia Sherrell,
Health,
5 Feb. 2026
-
There is strength in coming together to pray, Gomez said.—
Anissa Rivera,
Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
To have the stamina, and also to have the audience...—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
2 Feb. 2026
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Later this month and March ratchet between ideas and low confidence, plans and deception, control and discouragement, stamina and disappointment.—
Magi Helena,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Until crude vulgarians like Miller came along, no prominent American political figure would claim on our behalf a right to use our power for purely selfish ends, at the expense of other democratic states and foreign peoples.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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Calling out corporate entities and concentration of power as enemies also appears to be a winning strategy for Democrats in their messaging tactics.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Even in a cautious world, courage occupies a permanent place.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Watching together gives parents a chance to support kids in thinking critically about social dynamics and how to respond with kindness and courage.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mettle. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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