STEELING Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

steeling

verb

present participle of steel

as in encouraging

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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as in strengthening

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bracing

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 steeling With funding secured, Stone is steeling himself for the next big steps. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Ellison’s advisers were steeling for at least four more days of hard work. — Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg, 27 Feb. 2026 And this game plan demands his best work, steeling Jarrett Stidham for the biggest challenge of his career, or any career for that matter. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2026 Shoulders sagging, Charleigh set the wooden spoon down, steeling herself. — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026 This New Moon is perfect for mending such inner tears, with its Capricorn durability steeling your 12th House of Finishes. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2026 The Pats are back because of who their quarterback has become, and who Mike Vrabel is as a head coach; a man capable of steeling a brittle roster into a dogged competitor. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025 As the end of the year approaches, many workers are steeling themselves for their annual performance review. — Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2025 On the environment beat, look for further reporting on Kentucky's resilience in the face of flooding and other disasters, following a legislative task force report outlining recommendations for steeling the state against strengthening storms. — Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 15 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for steeling

Verb

Anti-Trumpers in Wichita are encouraging folks to attend the next No Kings Nationwide Day of Action on Saturday as a sort of rally warm-up.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
But in his statement Hannan argued labor and environmentalists aren’t stopping development, just encouraging it be done safely.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraging

Verb

The Bills are also coming off a Monday night overtime game, strengthening the home underdog’s case.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Florida is living proof that protecting the preborn and strengthening families is both possible and popular.

— Kimberly Bird, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of strengthening

Verb

Investors are bracing for the Federal Reserve to again hike interest rates after the Labor Department said Wednesday that consumer prices rose more in September than economists had expected.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
And for months, Hollywood has been bracing itself for the inevitable thousands of layoffs that will come out of the Skydance merger.

— Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of bracing

Verb

Allen says homeowners who spend money hardening their properties, including making homes more resistant to wildfires, should receive meaningful benefits from insurers for lowering their risk.

— Kenny Choi, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Governments around the world are hardening their AI stances as more agentic hacks breach critical systems.

— J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of hardening

Verb

City officials have been frantically preparing for Rachel, building sand berms and fortifying vulnerable areas with sandbags.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
CISOs invested billions of dollars fortifying corporate inboxes with secure email gateways (SEGs), enforcing strict DMARC policies and conducting continuous phishing simulations for employees.

— Firas Azmeh, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of fortifying

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steeled

steeling

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“Steeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steeling. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of steeling

verb

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