steady

[sted-ee]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR steady 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.

firm; unfaltering: 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 of the opposite sex whom one dates exclusively; sweetheart; boyfriend or girlfriend.

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?

Idioms

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

1520–30; 1905–10 for def 12; stead + -y¹

Related formsstead·i·ly, adverbstead·i·ness, nouno·ver·stead·i·ly, adverbo·ver·stead·i·ness, nouno·ver·stead·y, adjective

Synonyms for steady

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR steady ON THESAURUS.COM

1. balanced. 3. undeviating, invariable. 7. See steadfast.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for steadiness

constancy, toughness, perseverance, cohesion, firmness, steadfastness, dependability, resoluteness, durability, sureness, fastness, strength, permanence, endurance, aplomb, sturdiness, soundness, establishment, assurance, backbone

Examples from the Web for steadiness

Contemporary Examples of steadiness

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
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

Historical Examples of steadiness

This may have increased the resistance, but it adds to the steadiness.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
My steadiness was owing, in a great measure, to the following circumstances.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
His steadiness did not carry him to the end of his sentence.
The Gentleman From Indiana
Booth Tarkington
What shall I say of the steadiness and exactitude of his hand?
Albert Durer
T. Sturge Moore
The moment was critical, but the steadiness of Captain Truck did not desert him.
Homeward Bound
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for steadiness

steady

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 Formssteadier, 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

Word Origin and History for steadiness

steady

adj.

1520s (replacing earlier steadfast), from stead + adjectival suffix -y (2), perhaps on model of Middle Dutch, Middle Low German stadig. Old English had stæððig "grave, serious," and stedig "barren," but neither seems to be the direct source of the modern word. Old Norse cognate stoðugr "steady, stable" was closer in sense.

Originally of things; of persons or minds from c.1600. Meaning "working at an even rate" is first recorded in 1540s. Steady progress is etymologically a contradiction in terms. Steady state first attested 1885; as a cosmological theory (propounded by Bondi, Gold, and Hoyle), it is attested from 1948.

steady

1520s, from steady (adj.). Related: Steadied; steadying.

steady

"one's boyfriend or girlfriend," 1897 from steady (adj.); to go steady is 1905 in teenager slang.

Idioms and Phrases with steadiness

steady

In addition to the idiom beginning with steady

steady as a rock

also see:

go steady
slow but sure (steady wins the race)