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
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2
as in grey
of the color gray
steely eyes that are the color of a stormy sky
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Examples of steely in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The former James Bond star paired a stylish Loewe suit with a steely Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra for the red carpet.
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Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2024
And the acting is terrific, particularly by Pierre, who injects a steely intensity when it’s needed.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2024
The best romance writers know exactly how long to hold a pause to make your palms sweat or which adjective will suggest a slight hint of softness under a character’s steely exterior—just enough for the reader to see it, but not so much that the object of their affections will notice yet, of course.
—Casey McQuiston, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
The Supersonic’s research and development took 50 months, 103 engineers and a steely determination on the part of Dyson and his team to know absolutely everything about hair.
—Samantha Conti, WWD, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for steely 
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 Sep. 2024
And the acting is terrific, particularly by Pierre, who injects a steely intensity when it’s needed.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 5 Sep. 2024
The best romance writers know exactly how long to hold a pause to make your palms sweat or which adjective will suggest a slight hint of softness under a character’s steely exterior—just enough for the reader to see it, but not so much that the object of their affections will notice yet, of course.
—Casey McQuiston, TIME, 1 Aug. 2024
The Supersonic’s research and development took 50 months, 103 engineers and a steely determination on the part of Dyson and his team to know absolutely everything about hair.
—Samantha Conti, WWD, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for steely
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steely. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
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