Steely — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Steely (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. harsh and threatening in manner or appearance

   "pinned them with a steely gaze and demanded to know what they were doing"

   similar: austere, dour, fierce, flinty, forbidding, grim, gruff, intimidating, lowering, rough, rugged, severe, stark, stern, ungentle
   related: bleak, cold, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, unfriendly, unsympathetic, adamant, bound, determined, firm, intent, purposeful, resolute, resolved, steadfast, unflinching, fixed, hard, hardened, hardheaded, immovable, implacable, inflexible, ironhanded, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, rigid, self-willed, set, stiff, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful, immutable, unchangeable, black, cheerless, dark, gloomy, glum, joyless, melancholic, moody, morose, sulky, sullen, surly, brooding, grave, humorless, melancholy, serious, sober, sobersided, solemn, somber, staid, unsmiling, weighty
   opposite: benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender
   near: bland, meek, mellow, soft, soothing, easy, quiet, tranquil, agreeable, bright, cheerful, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, sweet, glad, happy, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, sunny, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, harebrained, light-headed, playful, scatterbrained, silly

2. of the color gray

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

   similar: argentine, gray, grayish, leaden, pewter, silver, silvery, slate, slaty
   related: achromatic, colorless, neutral, dirty, dull, faded, sad, washed-out, ashen, ashy, chalky, livid, mousy, pale, palish, white, whitish, chocolate, dun, sandy, sepia, brindled, grizzled, hoar, hoary
   near: ablaze, bright, deep, gay, rich, chromatic, colored, colorful, motley, multicolored, polychromatic, polychrome, varicolored, variegated