1
as in encouraging
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
hoped that his inspirational talk would steel the youths in the pursuit of their dreams
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthening
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
years of running a farm had steeled the hard-bitten woman
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bracing
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of steeling
And this game plan demands his best work, steeling Jarrett Stidham for the biggest challenge of his career, or any career for that matter.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Shoulders sagging, Charleigh set the wooden spoon down, steeling herself.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
This New Moon is perfect for mending such inner tears, with its Capricorn durability steeling your 12th House of Finishes.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026
The Pats are back because of who their quarterback has become, and who Mike Vrabel is as a head coach; a man capable of steeling a brittle roster into a dogged competitor.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
As the end of the year approaches, many workers are steeling themselves for their annual performance review.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2025
On the environment beat, look for further reporting on Kentucky's resilience in the face of flooding and other disasters, following a legislative task force report outlining recommendations for steeling the state against strengthening storms.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026
Shoulders sagging, Charleigh set the wooden spoon down, steeling herself.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
This New Moon is perfect for mending such inner tears, with its Capricorn durability steeling your 12th House of Finishes.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026
The Pats are back because of who their quarterback has become, and who Mike Vrabel is as a head coach; a man capable of steeling a brittle roster into a dogged competitor.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
As the end of the year approaches, many workers are steeling themselves for their annual performance review.
—Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2025
On the environment beat, look for further reporting on Kentucky's resilience in the face of flooding and other disasters, following a legislative task force report outlining recommendations for steeling the state against strengthening storms.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeling
Verb
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The bill contains provisions encouraging local and state governments to build more housing.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Mar. 2026
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There is a lot of change happening on the home front, encouraging you to remodel parts of your dwelling.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Olive and June product can also be applied daily to bare nails as an intensive strengthening treatment that not only fortifies your claws, but also repairs ridges, discoloration, and pesky peeling along the way.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
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He is focused on strengthening economic opportunity through workforce readiness and housing stability, and restoring trust through transparency, accountability and lawful governance, according to his campaign website.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, rank-and-file employees in America’s movie capital appear to be bracing for an Ellison era.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
27 Feb. 2026
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Wall Street analysts are bracing for a volatile road ahead for CoreWeave as its massive infrastructure ramp pressures margins and drives up costs.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Best of all are terrace bathtubs crafted from rocks or hinoki cypress wood, filled with hot spring onsen water—plus haiku-inspiring valley views.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
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In just one week, a spectacular display of orbital mechanics will be visible to billions of people across the Americas, Asia, and Oceania, as Earth's shadow sweeps across the lunar disk, triggering the onset of an awe-inspiring 'blood moon' total lunar eclipse.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Having proclaimed Reform as the de facto opposition, Labour spent much of its first year in government trying to appeal to right-wing voters by hardening its rhetoric and policy on immigration.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
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Add another several days up to a week for hardening off.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Iran already appears to be preparing for this option by fortifying its defenses around its nuclear assets, satellite images from Vantor indicate.—
Nancy A. Youssef,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
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Inside church walls, some are already fortifying rooms and stockpiling food and blankets.—
Caitlin Hu,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeling. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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