as in armed
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1
as in inspired
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
hoped that his inspirational talk would steel the youths in the pursuit of their dreams
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthened
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
years of running a farm had steeled the hard-bitten woman
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3
as in braced
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
he had spent the previous night steeling himself for the moment when he would demand a raise
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of steeled
Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Instead, Altman appeared jittery at first but steeled his nerves rather quickly.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
The Leopards steeled themselves, took a breath, went again, even as star man Noah Sadiki was forced off with an injury.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Denise and Aaron steeled themselves to face Muller in court.
—Lauren Clark, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Some of it is gut feeling based the maniacal want Cristobal has steeled in his players.
—Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Players typically don’t call their head coach in early summer with good news, so Journell steeled himself.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The lawyer steeled himself for the next 90 minutes.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
Boeing’s loss steeled its resolve and freed up engineers to work on the biggest airplane ever built for commercial service.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Instead, Altman appeared jittery at first but steeled his nerves rather quickly.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
The Leopards steeled themselves, took a breath, went again, even as star man Noah Sadiki was forced off with an injury.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026
Denise and Aaron steeled themselves to face Muller in court.
—Lauren Clark, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Some of it is gut feeling based the maniacal want Cristobal has steeled in his players.
—Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Players typically don’t call their head coach in early summer with good news, so Journell steeled himself.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The lawyer steeled himself for the next 90 minutes.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeled
Adjective
-
Ukrainians say armed formations on both sides, including the UPA and Polish underground forces, were involved in attacks and reprisals that led to large-scale civilian casualties among Poles and Ukrainians.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
-
During the incident, an armed individual began firing shots, the sheriff’s office said.—
Elainie Colton,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
But, expecting parents who are soccer fans can draw inspiration from the beautiful game with a gorgeous baby name inspired by the sport’s past and present stars.—
Beth Ann Mayer,
Parents,
20 June 2026
-
And developers plan to call the green square in the heart of the area, inspired by the floor plan of the bathhouse complex, Thermenplein.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
That’s because a relationship isn’t strengthened by self-erasure.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Italy’s triumph over Czechoslovakia in the 1934 final which strengthened the regime of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, for example.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
West Ham are braced for offers for promising midfielder Kante.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
-
Russia has been using long-range missiles and drones to damage Ukraine's power grid and hammer cities, and Ukraine has braced for further heavy bombardments.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
One recent video shows marines from the Sever and Tsentr groups training for assaults against Ukrainian fortified positions, with drones integrated into the assault force to provide reconnaissance and fire support.—
Vikram Mittal,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
Over the past decade, Beijing transformed several reefs and outcroppings in the Spratly Islands into fortified artificial islands equipped with airfields, deep-water ports, radar systems and missile sites.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Making the leap to full-time guiding came after long hours and a pivotal conversation with his wife, his biggest supporter and accountability partner, who encouraged him to pursue life around his most consuming obsession.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 June 2026
-
In the news release, the Sheriff’s Office encouraged the public to wear proper safety equipment and to wear personal floatation devices while on the water.—
Velvet Wu
June 21,
Sacbee.com,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Twelve years later, there’s more salt and pepper in Rogen’s beard and more vinegar in his demeanor; the let-it-all-hang-out comic boisterousness of his Judd Apatow days has hardened into a shell of middle-aged aggression.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
-
The left’s internationalism—once the calling card of progress—has hardened into hostility to Israel, across academia, NGOs, mainstream-media outlets, and the United Nations.—
Adam Louis-Klein,
The Atlantic,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeled. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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