Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of steely
Explanation
Anything that's steely resembles the metal called steel in some way—it's either hard, strong, bright, or silvery. A sword, a shade of gray, and even a look can be steely. You might describe the steely glint of the polished silverware on the table, or the steely blue of your cat's eyes. If someone questions you with a steely coldness, they are hard and emotionless—as cold as steel. You could also describe this person as "flinty" or "stony," other unbending adjectives. When steely was first used in the 16th century, it also described things literally "made of steel."
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.
See Examples For:
Trump calls Wiles the "ice maiden" after the Florida political operative masterminded his 2024 election win, and until recently the first ever female chief had maintained steely discipline at the White House.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Ms. Louis-Dreyfus’s glistening performance takes on a steely edge as Polly tries—and fails—to absorb Brooke’s news with equanimity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Real-life proprietor Andrea Pruett, a sweet but steely Southerner who kept her own gun behind the counter, greeted them in French and German, then fed them buffalo burgers and omelets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
With his slick black hair and steely gaze, he was practically born for the part.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Her disappointment had instantly turned to steely determination.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
But I find it hard to conceive that the image her leadership so desperately courts—a renegade broadcast company, steelier, rawer, and ineffably realer than its competitors—will ever take hold.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2026
This was a steelier Scotland, especially when having to cope with the disappointment of losing one of their leaders to what looked like a bad injury.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2024
Only when the topic of the closure came up did the owner’s friendly manner shift into something steelier.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2023
She often plays sunny characters with something steelier underneath.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2019
Slowly, as they kept talking, his face got steelier and steelier.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
There’s something about this storied tournament that can make even the steeliest of players weak in the knees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Russians are famously great chess players, yet there are moments when even the steeliest grandmasters find their initial advances on the board blocked and must adjust strategy.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2022
The work can bring some of the steeliest to crumble.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2021
Ah, the smile of Kirk: one of the steeliest blades in cinema, unrusted by the years.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 9, 2016
His job is war-work of the steeliest order, such as very few men would care to undertake.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 152, June 27, 1917 by Sir Owen Seaman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
