steely
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:
Price delivers “Oval Room” with the same steely, straight-ahead tone that Foley had, offering a very faithful reading of the original — but that’s not meant as an insult or a diminishment of Price’s approach.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Far from seeming like a steely leader in a rigorous era, he instead recalls all those gentle, soft, pouty-lipped dreamboats who pop up interchangeably in young-adult soaps on the streaming services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 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
Each breath she took was like a war won against the steely fist that was trying to squeeze the air from her lungs.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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
Klemperer’s Mozart was controversial in its time, known for being steelier and darker than the charm and sugar of Bruno Walter and Thomas Beecham.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
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
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
