1
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
pinned them with a steely gaze and demanded to know what they were doing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gray
of the color gray
steely eyes that are the color of a stormy sky
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of steely
His former manager at Leicester, Brendan Rodgers, is now coaching in Saudi Arabia — not that the lad sharpened by a steely upbringing near Sheffield is an obvious fit to finish his career too far from home.
—
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Dawson's steely resolve helps anchor the series, with strong support from Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Ahsoka's reckless former apprentice Sabine and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as General Hera Syndulla.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
His steely eyes, formerly clear as split glass, turned lake-like, opaque.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for steely
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Dawson's steely resolve helps anchor the series, with strong support from Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Ahsoka's reckless former apprentice Sabine and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as General Hera Syndulla.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
His steely eyes, formerly clear as split glass, turned lake-like, opaque.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for steely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steely
Adjective
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The characters are well developed and unpredictable—perhaps none more so than John Stone, Nasir’s gruff public-defense attorney.—
Stephanie Bai,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
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Also present was the gruff playwright.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Al-Bakoush, 58, appeared Friday afternoon in federal court in Washington, wearing a gray hoodie and using a wheelchair.—
ERIC TUCKER,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
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Rocky, meanwhile, wore a black double-breasted coat with a tie-waist, a spotty gray-blue shirt and coordinating patterned tie, navy slacks, square toe black loafers, a large Bottega Veneta tote, and Ray-Bans.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That way, your ideas can land without sounding stern.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
10 Feb. 2026
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Carro ended the hearing with a stern directive to defense lawyers, who repeatedly pushed back on the June 8 trial date.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Tervel Zamfirov of Bulgaria scored the bronze in a photo finish over Slovenia’s Tim Mastnak, the silver medallist in Beijing.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
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Authorities identified one victim who was killed when an elderly driver crashed her silver Mercedes sedan into a 99 Ranch Market in Westwood Thursday — an incident that resulted in the death of three people and left several others injured.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Kam and O'Shea exceeded all expectations with a performance characterized by spectacular lifts and fierce musicality.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
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Then, in the middle of a fierce snowstorm, a skinny little girl and her dog show up at the resort.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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County public health officials painted a grim picture of what life looks like for the poorest and sickest residents if new money doesn’t flow into the system.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Reddit boards hosting discussions of the case offer grim evidence of the concession.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There are also giant granite boulders dotting the shore, giving it a decidedly remote, rugged feel.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
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Both the Hangout Shade 7 and Hangout Shade 10 feature the rugged, adventure-ready Aerotech PVC inflatable construction that features throughout Bote's product line.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Chen describes it as more agile and less intimidating.—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
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That is very intimidating to a lot of guys, so a guy needs to be able to stand in that with me.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Steely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steely. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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