1
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
pinned them with a steely gaze and demanded to know what they were doing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in grey
of the color gray
steely eyes that are the color of a stormy sky
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of steely
It has long been rumored that the two did not get along, and old interviews posted online purported to spotlight steely interactions between the two of them.
—
Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Piastri and his camp, led by steely former F1 racer Mark Webber, were frustrated with Alpine’s slow progress towards his F1 graduation.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
The threat to Charlie and especially Mia escalates with the arrival from Hong Kong of Fong’s mother Clarice, a steely crime matriarch played by an almost unrecognizable Yeo Yann Yann, so memorable in Anthony Chen’s gorgeous domestic drama, Ilo Ilo.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
Yet even with that freedom, baseball’s steely culture keeps change in check.
—John Cairney, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for steely
Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Piastri and his camp, led by steely former F1 racer Mark Webber, were frustrated with Alpine’s slow progress towards his F1 graduation.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
The threat to Charlie and especially Mia escalates with the arrival from Hong Kong of Fong’s mother Clarice, a steely crime matriarch played by an almost unrecognizable Yeo Yann Yann, so memorable in Anthony Chen’s gorgeous domestic drama, Ilo Ilo.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
Yet even with that freedom, baseball’s steely culture keeps change in check.
—John Cairney, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for steely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steely
Adjective
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Peter Capaldi - Twelfth Doctor From 2014-2017, a gruff and action-ready Peter Capaldi shredded an electric guitar through the TARDIS.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2025
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Over a four-decade career that began with a role on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Lyonne has become known for portraying characters that are gruff but likable, hard-nosed but sympathetic.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Though adidas has recently dropped the Tokyo in metallic and neon colorways, this leather-and-suede version featuring a muted grey body is, in our eyes, a more adaptable choice.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
21 May 2025
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The officer saw a grey Cybertruck on fire, with an unbroken Molotov cocktail in an apple cider vinegar bottle lying nearby.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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The flybridge has a reverse radar arch that prompts a double take, while the remainder of the exterior focuses on open space (case in point, the foredeck), along with the beautiful design of the cockpit and stern area.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
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The 5,000-ton-class destroyer was damaged Wednesday when a transport cradle on the ship’s stern detached early during a launch ceremony attended by Kim at the northeastern port of Chongjin.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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Massa is slender and just 5 feet tall in her work boots, with strands of gray lightening her dark hair.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 May 2025
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Beam supports virtual backgrounds, although the one for this call was the most boring kind of flat gray possible.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Caron was used to seeing my fiery side, the fierce competitor, the demanding coach.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
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The feedback was fierce—storyboards dismantled, ideas shredded—but the environment was psychologically safe.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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One remarkable find stood out from all the rest: a collection of ancient silver treasures.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
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The silver vehicle then hit the 84-year-old woman, who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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As Read walked to the bench with her legal team, Peggy O'Keefe, seated every day front and center, gave the defendant a grim look, video shows.—
Michael Ruiz , Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2025
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After trading away star guard Luka Doncic for big man Anthony Davis, many saw Dallas as a team with a grim outlook for the future.—
Matt Levine,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
Adjective
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After a rugged childhood without electricity or indoor plumbing, Robertson earned a football scholarship to Louisiana Tech University.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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Groups were scaling the 30-foot steel border fence with rope ladders, or crawling through gaps sawed into the old steel mesh fencing, hundreds of people a day in a 20-mile stretch starting at the rugged mountainside of Mt. Cristo Rey.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steely. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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