steely
/ˈstiːli
/adjective (steelier, steeliest)
1Resembling steel in colour, brightness, or strength: a steely blue...
- Original tinning is steely grey in colour and if it is in good condition, it counts as a plus point when considering the value of the item.
- I love it for its leaves, a steely grey blue warmed with a blush of burgundy.
- The steely blue is another dark lure colour, something like the black or the reds, which have always been top catchers.
Synonyms
blue-grey, grey, steel-coloured, steel-grey, iron-grey;
harsh
hard, firm, toned, rigid, stiff, tense, tensed, taut, stretched
2Coldly determined; hard: there was a steely edge to his questions...
- As if a swirling combination of rage, sympathy, and steely determination made it hard for him to formulate his sentences.
- Don't doubt this steely determined and highly skilful County Manager for even one fleeting moment.
- I saw the determined, steely eyes of a man with something to prove, in fact everything to prove.
Synonyms
cruel, unfeeling, merciless, ruthless, pitiless, heartless, hard-hearted, hard, stony, cold-blooded, cold-hearted, harsh, callous, severe, unmerciful, unrelenting, relentless, unpitying, unsparing, unforgiving, uncaring, unsympathetic, uncharitable, lacking compassion, remorseless, unbending, unmoved, inflexible, inexorable, implacable, unremitting
literary adamantine
rare marble-hearted
resolute, firm, fixed, steadfast, dogged, single-minded;
bitter, burning, fiery, ferocious, fierce, fanatical, furious;
ruthless, inflexible, iron, granite, stony, grim, gritty, gutsy;
unquenchable, unflinching, unswerving, unfaltering, untiring, unwavering, unyielding, undaunted
Derivatives
steeliness
/ noun ...- He has the strength, the steeliness, the determination, a follow-through; he has the real steady qualities of leadership that we look for in a president and for American leadership in the world.
- There was a new-found steeliness to Portlaoise's play.
- But now Button is back out of that wilderness, and there is a quiet steeliness in his eyes and in his tone that is the final indication that his journey to genuine grand prix stardom is almost over.