STEELY Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

steely

adjective

ˈstē-lē

as in gruff

harsh and threatening in manner or appearance pinned them with a steely gaze and demanded to know what they were doing

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as in gray

of the color gray steely eyes that are the color of a stormy sky

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of steely But his Hamlet needs a stalwart supporting cast with whom to spar, and Ahmed tangles beautifully with Shakespeare veteran Timothy Spall, who plays Laertes’ father and family adviser Polonius, and Morfydd Clark as a steely but vulnerable Ophelia. —

Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Most of the cover is given over to a steely portrait of Skeets’s uncle Benson James, who was photographed by Richard Avedon for his series In the American West in 1979, then stabbed to death a year later. —

Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026 Anchored in steely guitars and meditative keys, the track tells a rare, almost sacred kind of intimacy to life. —

Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026 Faut has a steely confidence and a quiet authority. —

Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for steely

Recent Examples of Synonyms for steely

Adjective

But the grizzled former Man in Black and man-who-failed-to-ground-Maverick isn’t known for playing the type of gruff ol’ cowpoke who’s about to break into song.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
The son of a Scottish immigrant, McCluskie had a reputation as a political street fighter and his gruff style complemented Becerra’s more measured, cerebral approach.

— Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026