steely

/'sti:li/

Thân thiện

The climber's steely nerves kept him steady on the high beam.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Resembling steel in hardness or strength: Having the qualities of steel, particularly extreme hardness, strength, or resilience.
   • Cold, harsh, or severe in appearance or manner: Having a very firm, determined, or unyielding quality, often suggesting a lack of warmth or emotion.

Usage and Examples

• Describing physical hardness or color:
  • The blade had a steely glint in the sunlight.
  • The sky turned a steely grey before the storm.
• Describing a person's character, resolve, or expression:
  • She faced the challenge with steely determination.
  • The general fixed the soldier with a steely gaze.

Advanced Usage

• "Steely resolve/determination/nerve": An extremely firm and unwavering form of resolve, determination, or courage.
  • It took steely nerve to stand up to the dictator.
• "Steely eyes/gaze/look": A very cold, hard, or penetrating look that often conveys determination, severity, or a lack of emotion.
  • His steely eyes betrayed no hint of fear.

Variants and Related Words

• Steel (noun/verb): The strong metal alloy; to mentally prepare oneself for something difficult.
  • He had to steel himself for the bad news.

Synonyms

• Hard: Firm and solid.
• Unbending: Not yielding or inflexible.
• Inexorable: Impossible to stop or prevent.
• Grim: Very serious or gloomy.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Nerves of steel: Extreme courage and calmness under pressure.
  • A surgeon needs to have nerves of steel.
• Heart of steel: A very cold, unfeeling, or determined nature.
  • The tyrant was said to have a heart of steel.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. resembling steel in hardness
2. resembling steel as in hardness
   • steely eyes
   • steely nerves like those of a steeplejack