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

They have steadily learned how to transform it.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026

Shares in the baijiu maker have steadily declined over the past few years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Most economists, politicians, and businesses like to see GDP rising steadily.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

There’s a version of Odenkirk’s next phase that’s easy to imagine: a late-career run of durable, increasingly grim action roles, the kind that has kept actors like Liam Neeson working steadily into their 70s.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

That night the rain fell hard, and while they slept, no one had any idea that the river was quickly and steadily rising.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• regularly