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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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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Recent Examples of steeled
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
Few coaches know that better than Mike Vrabel, who steeled his team ahead of what many expected to be a toss-up game.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Few coaches know that better than Mike Vrabel, who steeled his team ahead of what many expected to be a toss-up game.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeled
Adjective
-
In the years following, Beijing funded or armed fellow communists in Vietnam, North Korea, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, causing panic in Washington and other Western capitals as the ideological struggles of the Cold War rippled across Asia.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
What about the kids and young adults in the current generation who take care of their siblings, play on a team, volunteer, work in the health profession, or sign up to be in the armed services?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The 90-minute panel was filled with steady applause, loud cheers, and overt enthusiasm for the NBC series inspired by Buzz Bissinger’s nonfiction book and the subsequent film of the same name.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 May 2026
-
Keep scrolling to shop more denim midi skirts and button-up shirts inspired by Julia Roberts.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
This would, among other things, give a new direction to the relationship with the United States, creating new opportunities that benefit Colombia…Under our administration, the relationship with the United States would be strengthened and revitalized.—
Armando Regil Velasco,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
Twenty-five years later, their creative synergy has only strengthened.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
In the stands, Toomey braced himself.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
Russia has been using long-range ballistic missiles and drones to damage Ukraine’s power grid and hammer cities, and Ukraine has braced for further heavy bombardments.—
Stephen McGrath,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
They are flanked by armored bunkers and fortified weapons-storage areas, as well as airfields and railheads that link the octagons to the Hami silos.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
Entergy New Orleans, the city’s main electric utility, has an accelerated grid-hardening plan that aims to replace existing utility poles with more fortified poles to withstand higher winds and selectively move some lines underground in high-risk areas.—
Fangxing Fran Li,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
But beyond that, he’s encouraged by the fact that the young creators who’ve already had enormous success online still value the cultural currency of theatrical movies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
-
The pastor encouraged his community to know that there is courage in choosing not to give up, but instead to search together for the place for them.—
HANNAH RUHOFF,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Once the seedlings have been hardened off, dig holes deep enough to plant the seedlings up to the first set of true leaves.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
27 May 2026
-
The mood concerning Carrick hardened in a positive way after United won at Chelsea on April 18, five days after the Leeds defeat.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeled. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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