steadily

American  

[sted-i-lee] / ˈstɛd ɪ li /

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.”

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Other Word Forms

• oversteadily
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of steadily

steady ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Example Sentences

Astronomers have steadily pushed farther back into cosmic history through a combination of improved telescopes and more sophisticated search techniques.

From Science Daily • Jul. 9, 2026

The population of brown bears in Greece's mountainous Western Macedonia region has grown steadily in past decades due to hunting bans and other conservation efforts.

From Barron's • Jul. 9, 2026

Some lines were long, some short; some static, others moving steadily.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

The labor market has steadily added an average of around 92,000 jobs a month so far this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

Fannie longed to stretch her arms and legs and straighten her back, but she kept a firm hand on the fabric, feeding it steadily under the needle.

From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell

Related Words

• regularly