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:
It is, for Vytas, an ego-shredding conversation, and for Marija no doubt a difficult one, steely though she is in the moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Whether he was playing steely but likeable heroes or a chillingly menacing villains, Neill was one of the most versatile stars in the film industry and always commanded attention on screen.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Winocour’s filmmaking itself is as steely as a Parisian’s gaze after you order the last croissant à la pâtisserie.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
That is no longer the case since Ravi, an amiable but steely 58-year-old Harvard graduate, became secretary of the governing board.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Susan ran meetings with a steely and unflappable grace.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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
Mulligan makes Twohey a touch steelier than Kazan’s more demonstrative Kantor.
From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2022
At that point a steelier side to the Jamaican emerged.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 1, 2017
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
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.
