as in armed
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1
as in inspired
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
hoped that his inspirational talk would steel the youths in the pursuit of their dreams
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strengthened
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
years of running a farm had steeled the hard-bitten woman
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3
as in braced
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
he had spent the previous night steeling himself for the moment when he would demand a raise
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Recent Examples of steeled
Lauren Clark, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Charlotte was another jump, but by then, he was steeled for struggles.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Some of it is gut feeling based the maniacal want Cristobal has steeled in his players.
—Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Players typically don’t call their head coach in early summer with good news, so Journell steeled himself.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The lawyer steeled himself for the next 90 minutes.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
Few coaches know that better than Mike Vrabel, who steeled his team ahead of what many expected to be a toss-up game.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
His sacrifice has steeled our resolve, redoubled our commitment and only increased our determination to save America at this critical turning point.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
Denise and Aaron steeled themselves to face Muller in court.
—Lauren Clark, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
Charlotte was another jump, but by then, he was steeled for struggles.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Some of it is gut feeling based the maniacal want Cristobal has steeled in his players.
—Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Players typically don’t call their head coach in early summer with good news, so Journell steeled himself.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025
The lawyer steeled himself for the next 90 minutes.
—Sarah Weinman, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025
Few coaches know that better than Mike Vrabel, who steeled his team ahead of what many expected to be a toss-up game.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
His sacrifice has steeled our resolve, redoubled our commitment and only increased our determination to save America at this critical turning point.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeled
Adjective
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After the service at Kheimeh Molaghat, over coffee and sweets in the church fellowship hall, Bahraman recounted how armed Iranian forces raided the home of his parents about 15 years ago, because their family had converted to Christianity.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Other officers then fired a taser and a gun at the armed man, Cox explained.—
Riley Rourke,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Bassan said she was also inspired by actor Angelina Jolie, who disclosed her own preventive mastectomy in a 2013 column in The New York Times.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
And there are countless clues hidden in the artwork that tell a story about the people who’ve inspired it.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Eyewitness imagery strengthened that assessment.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The Worldpay deal also bolstered Global Payments presence in Europe and strengthened some of its offerings such as e-commerce capabilities.—
Justin Zacks,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
September Dawn Bottoms for NBC News Carter had braced for a backlash.—
Bracey Harris,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Though Ohio braced for severe weather, with some areas seeing hail come down, on March 22, some Ohio's cities reached record high temperatures during the day.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The architecture of the wig cap and the wefts stitched within are, however, notably more structured and fortified than the 3-star series, with tighter spacing and more deliberate stitching patterns.—
Noel Cymone Walker,
StyleCaster,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The resulting star forts (so called because of their multiple fortified extrusions) solved a technological crisis.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some players encouraged the 49ers to investigate, but Lynch noted that it was not broached by anyone who joined the team in the past few weeks since free agency opened, including wide receiver Mike Evans.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Students should be encouraged to think historically, Zavala said, and to approach larger themes of colonization, erasure, power and to reflect on the way movements are shaped and the contradictions that occur within them.—
Kristy Hutchings,
Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the darkened foyer, Ember contemplated this unassuming bit of paper, momentarily paralyzed by a mixture of dread and excitement stirred together, an overpowering sensation that oozed from the crown of her head, down the length of her body, then hardened, like a soft golden resin becoming solid.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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The songs on the album also represent durability and strength, hardened by the turmoil one may experience in their 20s.—
Jake Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeled. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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