noun
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courage; spirit
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inherent character
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roused to putting forth one's best efforts
Etymology
Origin of mettle
1575–85; spelling variant of metal, in metaphoric usages
Explanation
Mettle is the courage to carry on. If someone wants to "test your mettle," they want to see if you have the heart to follow through when the going gets tough. Having the mettle to do something means you have guts. In short, you're a pretty impressive person. If you have the intellectual mettle to enter a political debate, not only do you know a lot about politics, but you have the spunk to show it off. Metal and mettle were once used interchangeably meaning a solid material like gold and the "stuff a person is made of" — until everyone got confused and the words went their separate ways.
Vocabulary lists containing mettle
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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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.
It will also test the mettle of the front-runners.
From Slate • May 26, 2026
The rookie showman is proving his mettle as part of the Caballero Circus, a five-generation family of performers, by enchanting audiences with his charismatic stage presence and sharp coordination.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
For many shareholders, the true test of Abel’s mettle will be his ability to use Berkshire’s record $373.1 billion cash pile for big acquisitions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
While that may be unfashionable in today’s world of prediction markets, cryptocurrencies, and highflying artificial-intelligence bets, Vanguard Wellington has long proven its mettle and is likely to keep doing so.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
This is a test—of my mettle, my strength—which means there must be something specific I’m supposed to do to get out of here.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
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.
