Definition of "steely" [steel•y]

• Made of steel. (adjective)
• Resembling steel, as in color or hardness: steely eyes. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Hardly had Jawamard made an end of his verses when there came out upon him from among the trees a horseman of terrible mien covered and clad in steely sheen, who cried out to him, saying,"
• "Joseph Small, pilot of the Bronco OV 10 plane that crashed as it returned from a mission, watched in steely silence."
• "It is hard to imagine four more successful, intelligent, and tough - or to use the press description, 'steely' - women than Hillary Clinton, Jenny Sanford, Elizabeth Edwards, and Silda Spitzer."