steady

[ sted-ee ]

/ ˈstɛd i /

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See synonyms for: steady / steadied / steadies / steadying on Thesaurus.com

adjective, stead·i·er, stead·i·est.

firmly placed or fixed; stable in position or equilibrium: a steady ladder.

even or regular in movement: the steady swing of the pendulum.

free from change, variation, or interruption; uniform; continuous: a steady diet of meat and potatoes;a steady wind.

constant, regular, or habitual: a steady job.

free from excitement or agitation; calm: steady nerves.

unfaltering; firm: a steady gaze;a steady hand.

steadfast or unwavering; resolute: a steady purpose.

settled, staid, or sober, as a person, habits, etc.

Nautical. (of a vessel) keeping nearly upright, as in a heavy sea.

interjection

(used to urge someone to calm down or be under control.)

Nautical. (a helm order to keep a vessel steady on its present heading.)

noun, plural stead·ies.

Informal. a person whom one dates exclusively; sweetheart.

Informal. a steady visitor, customer, or the like; habitué.

verb (used with object), stead·ied, stead·y·ing.

to make or keep steady, as in position, movement, action, character, etc.: His calm confidence steadied the nervous passengers.

verb (used without object), stead·ied, stead·y·ing.

to become steady.

adverb

in a firm or steady manner: Hold the ladder steady.

Informal. steadily, regularly, or continuously: Is she working steady now?

OTHER WORDS FOR steady

1 firm.

3 undeviating, unchanging, unvarying, invariable.

See synonyms for steady on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about steady

go steady, Informal. to date one person exclusively: Her father didn't approve of her going steady at such an early age.

Origin of steady

First recorded in 1520–30; 1905–10 for def. 12; stead + -y¹

synonym study for steady

7. See steadfast.

OTHER WORDS FROM steady

stead·i·ly, adverbstead·i·ness, nouno·ver·stead·i·ness, nouno·ver·stead·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use steady in a sentence

With the mixer running, add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, then continue to whip until medium-soft peaks form that still curl down slightly at the ends, 3 to 4 minutes.
Dig into this fall-spice pudding pie nestled in a nut crust and topped with whipped cream|Erin Jeanne McDowell|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
March was steady and so was April, but by May things started to take a turn for the worse.
You Think Being a Trans Chinese Sex Worker Is Easy?|Eugene Robinson|November 11, 2020|Ozy
Rivals Bing, Yahoo, Yandex and DuckDuckGo have held steady with a small sliver of the market, according to StatCounter data.
Europe fined Google nearly $10 billion for antitrust violations, but little has changed|Jeanne Whalen|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
The final component was a VR setup where the mice ran on a running wheel with their heads kept steady.
How Do We Remember Places? This Study Used Lasers and VR to Point the Way|Shelly Fan|November 10, 2020|Singularity Hub

It also says they have confirmed what it describes as “a steady decline” in new coronavirus-related listings, without offering more detailed data.
Europe urges e-commerce platforms to share data in fight against coronavirus scams|Natasha Lomas|November 6, 2020|TechCrunch
Simon is 51 years old, tall, and possessed of a big smile that conveys Midwestern values and steadiness.
Could Michelle Obama Run for the U.S. Senate?|Eleanor Clift|March 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"No Drama" Obama, in this respect, is more Washingtonian—projecting a calm steadiness of purpose and character.
Which Candidate Best Reflects America’s Constitutional Values?|Akhil Reed Amar|September 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Looking back, who would have predicted, as the campaign began, that the deciding factors would be competence and steadiness?
Sarah Palin, Beware: The Evangelical Intrusion Is Over|Garry Wills|November 13, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Lyn was looking at me intently, and her voice was steady; that squeezed kind of steadiness that is almost worse than tears.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
In others the arms may have been the chief locomotive organs and the feet have given steadiness.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
Alfred felt a degree of steadiness return to him with the excitement and the change of weather.
Blazed Trail Stories|Stewart Edward White
The vessel was put, accordingly, before the wind, and ran with great steadiness and velocity.
Peveril of the Peak|Sir Walter Scott
Amabel wrote her note with steadiness, derived from the very force of the shock.
The Heir of Redclyffe|Charlotte M. Yonge

British Dictionary definitions for steady

steady

/ (ˈstɛdɪ) /

adjective steadier or steadiest

not able to be moved or disturbed easily; stable

free from fluctuationthe level stayed steady

not easily excited; imperturbable

staid; sober

regular; habituala steady drinker

continuousa steady flow

nautical (of a vessel) keeping upright, as in heavy seas

verb steadies, steadying or steadied

to make or become steady

adverb

in a steady manner

go steady informal to date one person regularly

noun plural steadies

informal one's regular boyfriend or girlfriend

interjection

nautical an order to the helmsman to stay on a steady course

a warning to keep calm, be careful, etc

British a command to get set to start, as in a raceready, steady, go!

Derived forms of steady

steadier, nounsteadily, adverbsteadiness, noun

Word Origin for steady

C16: from stead + -y 1; related to Old High German stātīg, Middle Dutch stēdig

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with steady

steady

In addition to the idiom beginning with steady

steady as a rock

also see:

go steady
slow but sure (steady wins the race)

steady

OTHER WORDS FOR steady

Idioms about steady

Origin of steady

synonym study for steady

OTHER WORDS FROM steady

Words related to steady

How to use steady in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for steady

Derived forms of steady

Word Origin for steady

Other Idioms and Phrases with steady