steady
Verbsteadies, steadying, steadied
Noun pluralsteadies
Formssteadies, steadying, steadied
Pluralsteadies
- 1Regular and even, without sudden changes or interruptions.
The patient maintained a steady heartbeat throughout the procedure.
Rainfall came down at a steady rate for several hours.
Similarregular, even, constant, consistent, stable
Oppositeirregular, erratic, fitful, intermittent
Note
Traffic engineering gives this sense a precise opposite. In the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (2003), a steady signal is lit continuously, and steady green, yellow and red are set against their flashing counterparts. Elsewhere it describes what keeps going at an even rate, such as a steady breeze or steady progress. There the contrast is with fits and starts, not with the wobbling that the physical sense rules out.
- 2Firm in position, not tottering or shaking; fixed and secure.
Keep your hands steady when you thread the needle.
The old bridge remained steady despite the heavy traffic.
Similarstable, firm, secure, still, solid
Oppositeunsteady, shaky, wobbly, unstable
Note
The physical sense, and the root of the rest: Middle English stedy, perhaps continuing Old English stæþþiġ, "steadfast, stable, firm," built from stead plus -y. It belongs to ladders, hands and heavy guns held still, and it most often follows hold or keep: hold the ladder steady, keep your hands steady. Firm describes what a thing is; steady describes what it refrains from doing, which is shaking.
- 3Constant in feeling or purpose; not fickle or wavering, and not easily persuaded to change course.
Her steady commitment to the cause impressed everyone on the committee.
Despite the harsh criticism, he remained steady in his beliefs.
Similarunwavering, steadfast, constant, firm, staunch
Oppositefickle, wavering, inconstant
- 4Calm and even-tempered; not easily upset, excited, or disturbed.
The nurse kept a steady tone while the patient grew more anxious.
A steady leader keeps the whole team calm during a crisis.
Similareven-tempered
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8A person's regular boyfriend or girlfriend.
He introduced his steady to his parents over dinner.
They were each other's steady all through college.
Similarpartner, sweetheart, boyfriend, girlfriend, beau
- 9
- 10
- 11Designating the regular partner one is exclusively involved with romantically.
By spring they had become each other's steady companions.
Her steady beau walked her home from the dance every evening.
Oppositecasual
Note
A courtship word that now sounds dated. It describes the partner one is going steady with, the phrase for an exclusive romantic arrangement. It sits before the noun, as in a steady girlfriend or a steady boyfriend, and today it reads more like a period detail than current dating talk. The noun steady, a regular partner carries the same idea in a single word.
- 12Able to handle tasks skillfully and reliably while remaining calm and self-assured under pressure.
The pilot stayed steady as the storm tossed the aircraft around.
We hired her because she's steady under pressure and rarely makes mistakes.
Similarsolid
Oppositenervous, erratic, shaky, panicky
Note
Singapore English uses it as praise for someone who can be trusted under pressure. It stands after the verb rather than before a noun: you say someone is steady, not that they are a steady player. Neil Humphreys catches the rhythm in Match Fixer (2010) with "steady lah." Solid is a near synonym, and steady pom pi pi is the playful longer form.
- 13Used as an exclamation of approval, praise, or encouragement.
Steady! Now that's how you score a goal.
He landed the trick perfectly, and his friends yelled, "Steady!"
Note
The Singlish shout of approval, called out when someone pulls something off. It is the exclamation that goes with the Singlish praise for the cool-headed. Where that sense says a person is steady, this one is simply shouted, "Steady!", much as other English speakers say nice or way to go.
- 14Placed before a verb to mark an action as ongoing, consistent, and intense.
She steady grinding at two jobs to support her family.
Those kids steady running around the block all afternoon.
Note
A grammar word in African-American Vernacular English. Placed before a verb in -ing, it marks an action as persistent and intense: she steady grinding, those kids steady running. It is not the adverb steadily in disguise. It says the activity is relentless and keeps coming back, not that it moves at an even pace, so it should not be read as a description of rhythm or speed.
- 15A prostitute's regular client.
The madam reserved the back room for the women's wealthier steadies.
He had become her steady, visiting the same house every Friday night.
Similarregular
- 16In rowing, with full pressure applied at a low stroke rate, often around eighteen strokes per minute.
They rowed steady through the long stretch to save energy for the finish.
The eight settled in and pulled steady at about eighteen strokes a minute.
Note
A rowing crew's word for the working pace of practice: full pressure at a low rating. It follows the verb like an adverb, as in row steady or pull steady, and it does not compare, so there is no steadier. Crews set it against sprint pieces, the short bursts at a high rate. Steady is the long, controlled rowing that fills the time around them.
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Practice
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Origin
From Middle English stedy, perhaps continuing Old English stæþþiġ ("steadfast, stable, firm"), and equivalent to 'stead' plus '-y'; it may instead be a calque of Middle Low German or Middle Dutch stēdig. It is related to words like Swedish stadig, Danish stadig, and German stetig.