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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of steeling
Ellison’s advisers were steeling for at least four more days of hard work.
—
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
27 Feb. 2026
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
Lucas Shaw,
Bloomberg,
27 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeling
Verb
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The new searchable databases work against those calls, encouraging Germans to look more closely at their own families’ association with Nazism and prompting fresh reflections on how ordinary citizens came to normalize extremism.
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Passionate Mars in your 11th House of Friends sextiles Jupiter in your 1st House of Identity, encouraging brave outreach that feels warm and realistic.
Verb
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Yes, rucking can improve posture by strengthening the upper back, shoulders and core muscles that hold your spine upright.
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Machine learning systems can identify suspicious patterns and behavioral anomalies in real time, strengthening both fraud prevention and member protection.
Verb
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While the industry is bracing for news of Xbox layoffs, Sony decided to hop into the boiling pot first by announcing that PlayStation would no longer sell physical discs for its new games starting in 2028.
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Always making sure her boys balanced their royal duties with play, Diana had pre-teens Harry and William bracing themselves for a thrilling day at Britain's most popular amusement park, Thorpe Park, in 1993.
Verb
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As leaders, our role is to invest the lessons of the past into what will be, inspiring history-minded citizens everywhere.
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Just having around a 13-year former MLB pitcher should be inspiring to players next season.
Verb
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Candor, without the balance of Humility, Temperance, and Collaboration, risks hardening into rigidity, creating blind spots and stifling relationships.
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As that assumption erodes, attention has shifted from hardening GPS toward security through diversification.
Verb
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Major powers are developing advanced anti-satellite weapons and fortifying their space infrastructure, with Russia and China investing in counterspace capabilities.
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It is primarily tasked with repairing and fortifying the city’s more than 210,000 streetlamps — a frequent target of copper wire thieves — and maintaining its network of electrical vehicle charging stations.
Cite this Entry
“Steeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeling. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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