How to Use steely in a Sentence

steely

adjective
  • Putin, with his steely KGB eyes, at least looks the part.
    Harper Simon, SPIN, 20 May 2022
  • Hewitt turned around and gave Williams a steely glare and replied.
    Mike Bianchi, orlandosentinel.com, 2 Dec. 2020
  • Still, Green, a keen and steely talent, puts them — and us — through hell.
    Amy Nicholson, Variety, 16 Sep. 2023
  • In Israel, the shock of the strike has given way to a steely resolve.
    Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023
  • This group is stacked with steely veterans and should be one of the Longhorns’ strengths in 2021.
    Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 20 May 2021
  • The steely core, an ability to rise above hardship, to bend in the wind, to stick it out, to grin and bear it.
    Lila MacLellan, Quartz, 15 Dec. 2021
  • Baker, a dark-haired man with a steely gaze, appears in a few of the archival images.
    The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2022
  • Thanks to science and some steely nerves, that didn’t happen.
    Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2020
  • The subtle menace of Koons’s work is born of its steely sheen, which works like a grin plastered on a face.
    Sophie Madeline Dess, The New Republic, 18 May 2021
  • With cold rain falling and the remnants of a previous snowfall still on the streets, the mood was grim but steely.
    John Leicester and Hanna Arhirova, Chicago Tribune, 24 Nov. 2022
  • In Kyiv, where cold rain fell on the remnants of previous snowfalls, the mood was grim but steely.
    John Leicester, Hanna Arhirova, Sam Mednick, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Nov. 2022
  • It’s a demanding part, and DeBose put her own steely stamp on it.
    Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2022
  • Outside, a steely sky and yellow birch trees marked a new season.
    Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2022
  • But that day, the males were spy-hopping, or poking their heads just far enough out of the water to reveal their steely eyes.
    Liz Vaccariello, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2022
  • The steely sound of Johnny Kleker’s trumpet hung in the cool air like a healing message.
    Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register, 17 May 2024
  • Since slavery, Black women have been viewed as steely workers and this has prevailed over the years.
    Jasmine Browley, Essence, 21 Sep. 2022
  • For 2024, expect to see a lot of blue, from an ethereal blue-violet to a serene and steely blue to a bright and breezy shade.
    Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 5 Dec. 2023
  • This year, the Emmys have pointed a lens at an emerging trend in longform storytelling: the plight of the steely mom.
    Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Aug. 2020
  • But Clem’s estranged mother, the steely flower farmer June (Weaver), shows up and takes Alice home to her farm.
    Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2023
  • But his sinewy 6-foot-7 frame and steely façade provide only so much armor.
    Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 16 Apr. 2020
  • In some anti-light folks, the flashing fueled a steely resolve.
    oregonlive, 31 Jan. 2020
  • His bright blue eyes, which are often crinkled in laughter, are steely.
    Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 22 May 2021
  • He is dressed sumptuously in red, with an aquiline profile and a steely gaze.
    Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021
  • In the clip, cameras shift from the loquacious boys to Driver, who appears to give a steely look when she was shouted out in the speech.
    Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023
  • There’s a steely spine in her Blanche, behind a veneer of tulle and the memory of magnolias.
    Peter Marks, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2023
  • The steely gaze of the model who crosses her arms over her breasts with each change of dress: her fragility counts, her eternity.
    Concita De Gregorio, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 July 2023
  • But never was there any banging, or the steely treble sound heard from too many pianists these days.
    Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 9 Sep. 2023
  • Offscreen, in 1995, while the film was being shot, Thompson had to exert a steely control over her own pain.
    John Lahr, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2022
  • His sleigh is powered not by reindeers, but three steely horses.
    Madeline Roache, Time, 24 Dec. 2020
  • Conservative lawmakers like the steely Sir Iain Duncan Smith, are − for the first time in a long time − on the sharp end of an election.
    Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 2 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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