Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of steely
Explanation
Anything that's steely resembles the metal called steel in some way—it's either hard, strong, bright, or silvery. A sword, a shade of gray, and even a look can be steely. You might describe the steely glint of the polished silverware on the table, or the steely blue of your cat's eyes. If someone questions you with a steely coldness, they are hard and emotionless—as cold as steel. You could also describe this person as "flinty" or "stony," other unbending adjectives. When steely was first used in the 16th century, it also described things literally "made of steel."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rodriguez, who works in real-estate marketing, thought back to the smooth sounds of Steely Dan, the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac from the 1970s and 1980s that had been in heavy rotation for her this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025
On his lunchtime Radio 1 show, which launched in 1971, he championed new names like Steve Harley, Lou Reed, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles and Steely Dan.
From BBC • Dec. 31, 2024
Steely Dan opened the concert with a sprightly set of jazz-wise pop that Donald Fagen, in seemingly fine fettle after a recent hospital stay, capped with a shout-out to his late creative partner, Walter Becker.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2024
My husband and I saw Steely Dan with the late, great Walter Becker two different years at the Gorge.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 1, 2023
Steely eyes glinted in a lean, hard-jawed face.
From Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X by Appleton, Victor [pseud.]
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
