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
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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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.
Steadily, “Sirât” has become, since its debut at Cannes in May, a growing favorite: not merely a critic’s darling but an obsession among those who’ve seen it.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2025
Steadily, Soviet productive capacity regained its balance and began to achieve impressive results.
From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022
Steadily they build a shared understanding of each other before eventually proving they refuse to live without each other.
From Salon • Jul. 23, 2022
Kentucky: Steadily established a flow before exploding for a 12-2 run late in the first half.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2021
Steadily, up and down, he nodded to us all.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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.
