steeled 1 of 2

adjective

as in armed

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steeled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of steel
1
as in inspired
to fill with courage or strength of purpose hoped that his inspirational talk would steel the youths in the pursuit of their dreams

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2
as in strengthened
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure years of running a farm had steeled the hard-bitten woman

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3
as in braced
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally he had spent the previous night steeling himself for the moment when he would demand a raise

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of steeled
Verb
Denise and Aaron steeled themselves to face Muller in court. — Lauren Clark, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026 For decades, humankind steeled itself for the rise of thinking machines. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Dec. 2025 Instead, Altman appeared jittery at first but steeled his nerves rather quickly. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026 Some of it is gut feeling based the maniacal want Cristobal has steeled in his players. — Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026 Publishers are stacking the deck for the fall, when a glut of books are sent into the world steeled for holiday gifting. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 25 June 2026 The Leopards steeled themselves, took a breath, went again, even as star man Noah Sadiki was forced off with an injury. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 31 Mar. 2026 Players typically don’t call their head coach in early summer with good news, so Journell steeled himself. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025 Boeing’s loss steeled its resolve and freed up engineers to work on the biggest airplane ever built for commercial service. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeled
  1. armed
  2. inspired
  3. strengthened
  4. braced
  5. fortified
  6. encouraged
  7. hardened
Adjective
  • The helicopters' role was to de-escalate the situation by trying to engage with the pilot while the armed F-16s provided backup.
    — Luke Barr, ABC News, 3 July 2026
  • As armed drone technology becomes cheaper, more portable and more widely available to conflict parties globally, the number of environments where aid workers face persistent aerial targeting will only grow.
    — Yuriy Boyechko, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of armed
Verb
  • Ahead, shop more Quince clothing inspired by Shields and Henchy.
    — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
  • It’s inspired by flight, with soaring, winged architecture that echoes the spirit of travel.
    — Allison Tibaldi, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of inspired
Verb
  • Away from social media, the roommates have settled into simple traditions that have only strengthened their friendship.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
  • Flag football’s prolific growth has strengthened the sport at every amateur level from peewees to the Olympics and led to the NFL’s $32 million commitment for men’s and women’s professional flag leagues to debut next year.
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of strengthened
Verb
  • She was braced against a near-vertical gray rock on a steep part of the mountain, with her back unnaturally arched and her face pointed at the sky, eyes open.
    — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Germany and Austria are enduring heat in the 90s, and braced for worse as the weather moves east.
    — Beth Gardiner, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026
Definition of braced
Adjective
  • B vitamins are found in foods like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, leafy greens, beans, grains, and fortified cereals.
    — Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 30 June 2026
  • As Bolis explained, Malvasia’s story reaches back to Monemvasia, the fortified Greek coastal town whose name the Venetians shortened to Malvasia.
    — Layne Randolph, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of fortified
Verb
  • Customers are encouraged to check online to confirm hours for their nearest store.
    — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • Businesses can also partner with the nonprofit, while current and retired officers in need are encouraged to reach out directly for help.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • Too Early Tomatoes can suffer from leaf curl if they have not been properly hardened off or were planted when the weather was still too cool.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 July 2026
  • That separates vendors who truly hardened their posture from those who just updated their talking points.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of hardened

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Cite this Entry

“Steeled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeled. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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