steadily

[sted-i-lee]

adverb

1. 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.

2. in a continuous, uniform way.

   It rained steadily all day yesterday and by evening the river was almost overflowing.

3. in a calm, fixed, or unwavering way.

   He just stood there, holding his ground and gazing steadily at her, into those dark eyes.

4. in a firm, stable way.

   Binoculars with larger magnification tend to be overly bulky and difficult to hold steadily.

5. in a determined, persevering, or resolute way.

   She told him, “Seek peace of mind and hold steadily to your faith.”

Other Word Forms

• oversteadily adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of steadily¹

steady ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

But worker mobility and pay rose steadily even after the manager departed.

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Beijing has used government investigations into American companies to place pressure on the U.S., which over the years has steadily imposed an ever-growing thicket of export restrictions and tariffs on Chinese goods.

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Yet when visiting a new city and using our phone to navigate, it can seem as if we are jumping from one spot to another, even though we are walking steadily along the same sidewalk.

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They observed that Y1R neurons did not simply react to quick bursts of pain; instead, they kept firing steadily during prolonged pain, a phenomenon known as “tonic activity.”

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Build the mine once, and it produces steadily for decades.

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Related Words

• regularly