Synonyms of steely

steely

adjective

ˈstē-lē 

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

• gruff
• stern
• fierce
• grim
• rugged
• intimidating
• flinty
• hostile
• forbidding
• severe
• bleak
• stark
• dour
• hardened
• austere
• rough
• cold
• lowering
• stubborn
• dark
• somber
• ungentle
• resolute
• solemn
• black
• steadfast
• moody
• unflinching
• implacable
• determined
• stiff
• adamant
• unbending
• rigid
• unrelenting
• unyielding
• obdurate
• uncompromising
• inhospitable
• unsympathetic
• obstinate
• intent
• firm
• immovable
• bound
• purposeful
• unfriendly
• resolved
• inimical
• sullen
• willful
• fixed
• inflexible
• serious
• hardheaded
• hard
• melancholy
• mulish
• morose
• unchangeable
• melancholic
• unsmiling
• immutable
• brooding
• surly
• sulky
• cheerless
• humorless
• gloomy
• joyless
• glum
• sober
• set
• staid
• grave
• weighty
• self-willed
• ironhanded
• sobersided

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gentle
• mild
• benign
• soft
• tender
• mellow
• meek
• benignant
• bland
• quiet
• soothing
• easy
• sweet
• bright
• tranquil
• cheerful
• pleasant
• agreeable
• pleasing
• nonintimidating
• sunny
• inviting
• happy
• glad
• merry
• mirthful
• playful
• lighthearted
• goofy
• silly
• frivolous
• giddy
• flighty
• scatterbrained
• featherbrained
• harebrained
• light-headed

2

as in gray

of the color gray

steely eyes that are the color of a stormy sky

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gray
• silver
• silvery
• white
• slate
• pale
• faded
• grayish
• slaty
• leaden
• pewter
• neutral
• argentine
• dull
• sandy
• dirty
• whitish
• ashen
• colorless
• achromatic
• mousy
• chalky
• sad
• ashy
• chocolate
• grizzled
• livid
• hoary
• sepia
• dun
• washed-out
• palish
• hoar
• brindled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deep
• bright
• rich
• gay
• colored
• chromatic
• colorful
• ablaze
• variegated
• polychromatic
• varicolored
• multicolored
• polychrome
• motley

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of steely

The tough, steely competence of Anne Hathaway—the sense that her characters could shoulder the weight of the world, without complaint and on short notice—has been one of the more welcome recurring spectacles of this moviegoing year. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

The warts-and-all approach gives the film its steely edge and its steady insight. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

D’Arcy closes the window with an air of steely resolve, and in doing so declares the Rhaenyra who might have mourned her half-sister as dead and gone. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026

The suspense grows more effective past the one-hour mark, once Dama takes control of the narrative, with Irina, Rosa and Giulia variably helped and hindered by her steely mechanizations. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026