steadfast

or sted·fast

[sted-fast, -fahst, -fuhst]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR steadfast ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

fixed in direction; steadily directed: a steadfast gaze.

firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc., as a person: a steadfast friend.

unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc.

firmly established, as an institution or a state of affairs.

firmly fixed in place or position.

RELATED WORDS

Origin of steadfast

before 1000; Middle English stedefast, Old English stedefæst. See stead, fast¹

Related formsstead·fast·ly, adverbstead·fast·ness, nouno·ver·stead·fast, adjectiveo·ver·stead·fast·ly, adverbo·ver·stead·fast·ness, nounun·stead·fast, adjectiveun·stead·fast·ly, adverbun·stead·fast·ness, noun

Synonyms for steadfast

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR steadfast ON THESAURUS.COM

2. sure, dependable, reliable, constant, unwavering. Steadfast, staunch, steady imply a sureness and continuousness that may be depended upon. Steadfast literally means fixed in place, but is chiefly used figuratively to indicate undeviating constancy or resolution: steadfast in one's faith. Staunch literally means watertight, as of a vessel, and therefore strong and firm; figuratively, it is used of loyal support that will endure strain: a staunch advocate of free trade. Literally, steady is applied to that which is relatively firm in position or continuous in movement or duration: a steady flow; figuratively, it implies sober regularity or persistence: a steady worker. 4, 5. stable.

Antonyms for steadfast

2. capricious, variable.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for steadfastly

Contemporary Examples of steadfastly

Snyder has steadfastly refused to even consider a name change.
The Native Americans Who Voted for ‘The Fighting Sioux’
Evan Weiner
June 26, 2014
Sarkozy has steadfastly denied allegations of wrongdoing in the Tapie case.
New Phone-Tapping Scandal Plagues Sarkozy
Tracy McNicoll
March 14, 2014
As a freedom fighter, Mandela was an adversary of those who steadfastly supported the Apartheid government that oppressed him.
Mandela and My Son
Yousef Munayyer
December 6, 2013
It has steadfastly refused to release its own estimates of non-combatant deaths in drone strikes, figures that it says classified.
U.S. Drone Program Needs to Be Accompanied by Hard Facts on Civilian Deaths
Daniel Klaidman
November 8, 2013
But he has steadfastly refused to confirm or deny reports that he and Silda are living apart.
Meet the New Eliot Spitzer
Lloyd Grove
July 16, 2013

Historical Examples of steadfastly

Tom gazed at her steadfastly, and seemed to say, 'What else?'
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
So he sat, with a steadfastly vacant gaze, pausing in his work.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
He was a true Hudson's Bay man, steadfastly loyal to the Company.
The Forest
Stewart Edward White
You looked far too long and too steadfastly for a first introduction.
A Comedy of Marriage and Other Tales
Guy De Maupassant
She looked at him steadfastly for a moment without speaking.
The Avenger
E. Phillips Oppenheim

British Dictionary definitions for steadfastly

steadfast

stedfast

adjective

(esp of a person's gaze) fixed in intensity or direction; steady

unwavering or determined in purpose, loyalty, etcsteadfast resolve

Derived Formssteadfastly or stedfastly, adverbsteadfastness or stedfastness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for steadfastly

steadfast

adj.

Old English stedefæst "secure in position," from stede (see stead) + fæst (see fast (adj.)); cf. Middle Low German stedevast, Old Norse staðfastr. Related: Steadfastly, steadfastness.