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:
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
They were creative, entertaining and confident in their thrilling 2-2 draw, and also produced another dose of the steely determination that guided them to their shock result against Spain.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Yet even Honor is cowed by the household’s steely Yugoslav maid, Greta, who dismisses all heartbreaks and hysterics with the motto, “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
As Dr. James McIlroy said, “Shackleton could be a very frightening kind of individual; like Napoleon, he was very stern-looking and fixed you with a steely eye.”
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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
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
But Stephen Wallace is made of steelier stuff than most.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2021
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 young charge said no more; he only looked at his beaming preceptor with eyes cold with the steeliest contempt.
From Happy Pollyooly The Rich Little Poor Girl by Jepson, Edgar
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.
