steady

[ sted-ee ]

/ ˈstɛd i /

|||

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?

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR steady

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR steady ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

stead·i·ly, adverbstead·i·ness, nouno·ver·stead·i·ly, adverbo·ver·stead·i·ness, noun

o·ver·stead·y, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for steady

It is the steady accretion of detail that may yet be the most damaging factor in the battle for British hearts and minds.
From Playboy Prince to Dirty Old Man?|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Superintendent Smith, in fact, had fielded a steady stream of complaints about him that never resulted in any direct action.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Outside, a lone traffic policeman directs a steady stream of motorbikes.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Activating iPhones promised a lucrative, steady revenue stream for Synchronoss.
NSA Chief Bet Money on AT&T as It Spied on You|Shane Harris|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For Reid, wealth accumulation has come from a steady diet of land deals and playing the market.
A Conservative Explains Why The GOP Could Lose|Bill Whalen|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The man said nothing, and she looked up to encounter a steady gaze from eyes somewhat puzzled.
The Lighted Match|Charles Neville Buck
Fig. 1776 represents a drill for stone work, whose edge is made curved to steady it.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose
The tan thinned on Carmichael's face, but his hand was steady.
The Goose Girl|Harold MacGrath
Some send it forth in a solid, steady, majestic column; others in an irregular, churn-like fashion.
Then and Now|Robert Vaughn
Several of the men, whom I know personally — steady fellows and good time-keepers — had been getting 18s.
Life in a Railway Factory|Alfred Williams

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 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 steady

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.

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

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

adjective, stead·i·er, stead·i·est.

interjection

noun, plural stead·ies.

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

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

adverb

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of steady

Examples from the Web for steady

steady

adjective steadier or steadiest

verb steadies, steadying or steadied

adverb

noun plural steadies

interjection

Word Origin for steady

steady

steady

steady