Adjacent Words

steady definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: not subject to change or variation especially in behavior; "a steady beat"; "a steady job"; "a steady breeze"; "a steady increase"; "a good steady ballplayer" [ant: unsteady]
2: not liable to fluctuate or especially to fall; "stocks are still firm" [syn: firm, steady, unfluctuating]
3: securely in position; not shaky; "held the ladder steady"
4: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable; "firm convictions"; "a firm mouth"; "steadfast resolve"; "a man of unbendable perseverence"; "unwavering loyalty" [syn: firm, steadfast, steady, stiff, unbendable, unfaltering, unshakable, unwavering]
5: relating to a person who does something regularly; "a regular customer"; "a steady drinker" [syn: regular, steady]
6: not easily excited or upset; "steady nerves" n
1: a person loved by another person [syn: sweetheart, sweetie, steady, truelove] v
1: make steady; "steady yourself" [syn: steady, calm, becalm]
2: support or hold steady and make steadfast, with or as if with a brace; "brace your elbows while working on the potter's wheel" [syn: brace, steady, stabilize, stabilise] adv
1: in a steady manner; "he could still walk steadily" [syn: steadily, steady] [ant: falteringly, uncertainly, unsteadily]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective (steadier; -est) Etymology: Middle English stedy, from stede Date: 14th century 1. a. direct or sure in movement ; unfaltering <a steady hand> b. firm in position ; fixed <held the pole steady> c. keeping nearly upright in a seaway <a steady ship> 2. showing little variation or fluctuation ; stable, uniform <a steady breeze> <steady prices> 3. a. not easily disturbed or upset <steady nerves> b. (1) constant in feeling, principle, purpose, or attachment <steady friends> (2) dependable c. not given to dissipation ; sober • steadily adverb • steadiness noun Synonyms: steady, even, equable mean not varying throughout a course or extent. steady implies lack of fluctuation or interruption of movement <steady progress>. even suggests a lack of variation in quality or character <an even distribution>. equable implies lack of extremes or of sudden sharp changes <maintain an equable temper>. II. verb (steadied; steadying) Date: 1530 transitive verb to make or keep steady intransitive verb to become steady • steadier noun III. adverb Date: circa 1605 1. in a steady manner ; steadily 2. on the course set — used as a direction to the helmsman of a ship IV. noun (plural steadies) Date: 1792 one that is steady; specifically a boyfriend or girlfriend with whom one goes steady

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., v., adv., int., & n. --adj. (steadier, steadiest) 1 firmly fixed or supported or standing or balanced; not tottering, rocking, or wavering. 2 done or operating or happening in a uniform and regular manner (a steady pace; a steady increase). 3 a constant in mind or conduct; not changeable. b persistent. 4 (of a person) serious and dependable in behaviour; of industrious and temperate habits; safe; cautious. 5 regular, established (a steady girlfriend). 6 accurately directed; not faltering (a steady hand; a steady eye). 7 (of a ship) on course and upright. --v.tr. & intr. (-ies, -ied) make or become steady (steady the boat). --adv. steadily (hold it steady). --int. as a command or warning to take care. --n. (pl. -ies) colloq. a regular boyfriend or girlfriend. Phrases and idioms: go steady (often foll. by with) colloq. have as a regular boyfriend or girlfriend. steady down become steady. steady-going staid; sober. steady on! a call to take care. steady state an unvarying condition, esp. in a physical process, e.g. of the universe having no beginning and no end. Derivatives: steadier n. steadily adv. steadiness n. Etymology: STEAD = place, + -Y(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Steady Stead"y, v. i. To become steady; to regain a steady position or state; to move steadily. Without a breeze, without a tide, She steadies with upright keel. --Coleridge.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Steady Stead"y, a. [Compar. Steadier; superl. Steadiest.] [Cf. AS. stedig sterile, barren, st[ae]??ig, steady (in gest[ae]??ig), D. stedig, stadig, steeg, G. st["a]tig, stetig. See Stead, n.] 1. Firm in standing or position; not tottering or shaking; fixed; firm. ``The softest, steadiest plume.'' --Keble. Their feet steady, their hands diligent, their eyes watchful, and their hearts resolute. --Sir P. Sidney. 2. Constant in feeling, purpose, or pursuit; not fickle, changeable, or wavering; not easily moved or persuaded to alter a purpose; resolute; as, a man steady in his principles, in his purpose, or in the pursuit of an object. 3. Regular; constant; undeviating; uniform; as, the steady course of the sun; a steady breeze of wind. Syn: Fixed; regular; uniform; undeviating; invariable; unremitted; stable. Steady rest (Mach), a rest in a turning lathe, to keep a long piece of work from trembling.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Steady Stead"y, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Steadied; p. pr. & vb. n. Steadying.] To make steady; to hold or keep from shaking, reeling, or falling; to make or keep firm; to support; to make constant, regular, or resolute.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(steadier, steadiest, steadies, steadying, steadied) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A steady situation continues or develops gradually without any interruptions and is not likely to change quickly. Despite the steady progress of building work, the campaign against it is still going strong... The improvement in standards has been steady and persistent, but has attracted little comment from educationalists... A student doesn't have a steady income. ADJ • steadily Relax as much as possible and keep breathing steadily... ADV: ADV with v 2. If an object is steady, it is firm and does not shake or move about. Get as close to the subject as you can and hold the camera steady... ? unsteady ADJ 3. If you look at someone or speak to them in a steady way, you look or speak in a calm, controlled way. 'Well, go on,' said Camilla, her voice fairly steady... ADJ • steadily He moved back a little and stared steadily at Elaine. ADV: ADV after v 4. If you describe a person as steady, you mean that they are sensible and reliable. He was firm and steady unlike other men she knew. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ 5. If you steady something or if it steadies, it stops shaking or moving about. Two men were on the bridge-deck, steadying a ladder... Lovelock eased back the throttles and the ship steadied. VERB: V n, V 6. If you steady yourself, you control your voice or expression, so that people will think that you are calm and not nervous. Somehow she steadied herself and murmured, 'Have you got a cigarette?'... She breathed in to steady her voice. = compose VERB: V pron-refl, V n 7. You say 'steady on' to someone to tell them to calm down or to be careful about what they are saying. 'What if there's another murder?'—'Steady on!'... EXCLAM

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Fixed, firm, stable. 2. Regular, undeviating, unremitted, uniform, constant, equable. 3. Constant, resolute, stanch, steadfast, stable, unwavering, persevering, unchangeable.

Moby Thesaurus

abiding, accordant, adamantine, ageless, alike, alternate, appease, ardent, arranged, articulated, assiduous, automatic, balance, balanced, ballast, beating, beau, beloved, bovine, boyfriend, brace, bulky, businesslike, calculable, calm, calm down, captive, catch, catenated, ceaseless, certain, changeless, chattering, circling, civilized, coeternal, compose, concatenated, confirmed, connected, conquest, consistent, consonant, constant, continual, continued, continuing, continuous, controlled, cool, coolheaded, coquette, correspondent, counterbalance, cradle, customer, cyclic, cyclical, date, dateless, dense, dependable, devoted, dignified, diligent, direct, dispassionate, dogged, down-to-earth, dulcify, dull, durable, ease, endless, enduring, epochal, equable, equal, eternal, eterne, even, even out, even-tempered, ever-being, ever-durable, ever-during, everlasting, everliving, every other, fail-safe, faithful, faithworthy, fast, featureless, fiducial, firm, firm as Gibraltar, firm up, firmly, fixed, flame, flat, flinty, flirt, formal, freeze, frequenter, gal, gapless, gentle, guaranteed, guy, habitual, habitue, hard, harmless, harmonious, hold, hold fast, homogeneous, honey, hush, immediate, immemorial, immobilize, immovable, immutable, impassive, imperturbable, in equilibrium, in hand, inalterable, inamorata, inamorato, incessant, indefatigable, indestructible, indomitable, industrious, inexcitable, infinite, inflexible, inirritable, insistent, interminable, intermittent, invariable, inveterate, invincible, invulnerable, isochronal, joined, jointless, keep, ladylove, lasting, level, level-headed, liege, linked, long-standing, lover, loyal, lull, machine gun, man, marble-constant, massive, measured, mechanical, methodic, methodical, metronomic, mollify, monolithic, monotonous, nail down, nerveless, never-ceasing, never-ending, never-failing, never-tiring, nonstop, nonterminating, nonterminous, normal, obstinate, of a piece, olamic, ordered, orderly, oscillating, oscillatory, pacify, patient, patient as Job, perdurable, perennial, periodic, periodical, permanent, perpetual, perseverant, persevering, persistent, persisting, pertinacious, pin down, plodding, plugging, poise, poised, pour balm into, predictable, preoccupied, pulsating, pulsing, quell, quiet, rapid, rapt, reciprocal, recurrent, recurring, regular, relaxed, relentless, reliable, remaining, repeated, repetitive, resolute, rest, retain, rhythmic, riskless, robotlike, rock, rock to sleep, rock-steady, rotary, round-the-clock, routine, rugged, running, seamless, seasonal, secure, sedate, sedulous, sempiternal, sensible, serial, serious, serried, set, settled, single-minded, sleepless, slogging, smooth, smooth down, smooth over, smoothen, sober, socialize, solid, solidly, soothe, sophisticated, sot, sound, stabile, stabilitate, stabilize, stable, staccato, staid, staunch, staying, steadfast, steady-handed, steady-nerved, steel-nerved, steely, stick, sticking, still, stoic, stolid, stout, straight, strengthen, strong, strong-nerved, stubborn, sturdy, stuttering, subdue, substantial, support, sure, surefire, sustained, sweet patootie, sweetheart, sweetie, symmetrical, systematic, tenacious, timeless, tireless, tough, tranquilize, transfix, true, true-blue, truelove, trustworthy, trusty, twenty-four-hour, unabating, unbending, unblenching, unblinking, unbroken, unceasing, unchangeable, unchanged, unchanging, unconquerable, undangerous, undaunted, undeflectable, undeviating, undifferentiated, undiscouraged, undisturbable, undiversified, undrooping, undulant, undulatory, undying, unending, unfailing, unfaltering, unflagging, unflappable, unflinching, unhazardous, uniform, unintermitted, unintermittent, unintermitting, uninterrupted, unirritable, unnervous, unnodding, unpassionate, unperilous, unprecarious, unqualified, unquestioning, unquivering, unrelaxing, unrelenting, unrelieved, unremitting, unrisky, unruffled, unshakable, unshaken, unshaky, unshrinking, unsleeping, unstopped, unstrained, unswerving, untiring, untremulous, unvaried, unvarying, unwavering, unwearied, unwearying, unwinking, unyielding, usual, utterly attentive, vamp, vampire, vibrating, warranteed, wavelike, weariless, well-balanced, well-built, well-constructed, well-founded, well-grounded, well-made, well-ordered, well-regulated, wheeling, wholehearted, without a tremor, without end, without nerves, woman