steadily
Americanadverb
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in a way that moves constantly and at an even pace or in the same direction.
My dedication and commitment to teaching are proven by my steadily increasing student evaluation scores.
Despite numerous legislative attempts to constrain spending over the past 40 years, the deficit problem has marched steadily on.
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in a continuous, uniform way.
It rained steadily all day yesterday and by evening the river was almost overflowing.
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in a calm, fixed, or unwavering way.
He just stood there, holding his ground and gazing steadily at her, into those dark eyes.
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in a firm, stable way.
Binoculars with larger magnification tend to be overly bulky and difficult to hold steadily.
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in a determined, persevering, or resolute way.
She told him, “Seek peace of mind and hold steadily to your faith.”
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of steadily
Explanation
Something that happens steadily occurs at a predictable, reliable, unchanging pace. If it keeps raining for hours, it's been raining steadily. If you stand outside without an umbrella, you will steadily get drenched. Anything that keeps happening at a regular clip is happening steadily. A politician who campaigns every day for months has been campaigning steadily. If you write an hour a day on a novel, the novel is growing steadily. The opposite of steadily is unsteadily, which would describe something that happens in an irregular, shaky, or unpredictable way. Anything done steadily goes on and on.
Vocabulary lists containing steadily
"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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Obama's State of the Union Address, 2014
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Messenger
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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.
The steadily rising average player age reflects both the aging of a generation that grew up with consoles and a wave of older adults who have since picked up the hobby.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
However, the parasitic fly has been steadily moving north from Central America to Mexico since 2023.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
As wine sales have steadily declined in recent years, appetites for white varieties have remained healthy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Since the start of the Iran conflict, markets have been steadily pricing in a higher likelihood of rate hikes in 2026, according to CME Group data.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
As she had hoped, the meat dried steadily during the night.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
