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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Recent Examples of steeled
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
His sacrifice has steeled our resolve, redoubled our commitment and only increased our determination to save America at this critical turning point.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Kyiv is also on a full war footing, with its government and population steeled against the damage and human losses that come with a major conflict.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025
Handling adversity These setbacks steeled James Lovell to be an astronaut who could handle the pressures in times of adversity.
—John Baldoni, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Eventually, to the relief of the many passengers with less-than-perfectly-steeled stomachs, the ferry pulled into the port of Helgoland.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
His sacrifice has steeled our resolve, redoubled our commitment and only increased our determination to save America at this critical turning point.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Kyiv is also on a full war footing, with its government and population steeled against the damage and human losses that come with a major conflict.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2025
Handling adversity These setbacks steeled James Lovell to be an astronaut who could handle the pressures in times of adversity.
—John Baldoni, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Eventually, to the relief of the many passengers with less-than-perfectly-steeled stomachs, the ferry pulled into the port of Helgoland.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeled
Adjective
-
President Daniel Noboa launched an armed campaign against gangs and declared states of emergency in several provinces, including Manabi, deploying the military to support police operations.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Israeli attacks weakened Iran’s regional armed proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollahwhile US strikes dealt significant damage to the country’s nuclear program, which the government spent billions to develop.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Black jeans are one of the easiest staples to have in your closet, and Amazon is packed with similar styles inspired by these celebs.—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Dominique says the city inspired his competitive mentality.—
Mirin Fader,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The dialogue between past and present will be strengthened further with the opening of the Jewish Academy in the Westend district.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
-
When Mars and Venus are both in cazimi — activated by the sun in Capricorn — relationships may undergo a reset where intentions are clarified and commitments are either strengthened or redefined.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While Glenn braced herself for backlash, the overwhelmingly positive reception felt like freedom.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Aisha braced in anticipation of her next question.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Orange juice provides more vitamin C than non-fortified apple juice, but some types of fortified apple juices may have more vitamin C than orange juice.—
Angela Ryan Lee,
Verywell Health,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The final season follows the New York kingpin's journey to build a fortified drug empire in Chicago.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The city’s emergency overflow shelter is available to adults over 18, with capacity for dogs in kennels, but the office encouraged people who need a warm place to sleep to seek primary shelters as a first option.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Nov. 2025
-
During the end of the latter track, Lauper encouraged audience members to sing along and brought Salt-n-Pepa onstage to join in.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Polls show that most Americans believe that lengthy prison terms, which are costly to taxpayers, should be reserved for violent and hardened repeat offenders.—
Kevin Krause,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Renowned for their fun shape yet tooth-cracking texture that hardened with each passing day in the dish, ribbon candy was often a holiday season staple for many households.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeled. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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