mettle

American  

[met-l] / ˈmɛt l /

noun

1. courage and fortitude.

   a man of mettle.

   Synonyms:

   fiber, nerve, ardor, vigor, pluck, valor

2. disposition or temperament.

   a man of fine mettle.

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idioms

1. on one's mettle, in the position of being incited to do one's best.

   The loss of the first round put him on his mettle to win the match.

mettle British  

/ ˈmɛtəl /

noun

1. courage; spirit

2. inherent character

3. roused to putting forth one's best efforts

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Etymology

Origin of mettle

1575–85; spelling variant of metal, in metaphoric usages

Example Sentences

Newcastle showed their mettle to see the game out, which felt timely before Wednesday's trip to the Nou Camp.

From BBC

Six Nations debutant Murray then sniped over for Ireland's bonus score, but the home side's mettle was tested again when Darge capped an excellent Scotland attack to bring the visitors back to within five points.

From BBC

He belongs to the so-called war generation—men who didn’t lead the revolution but tested their mettle in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Do not test my mettle, dastardly villain!” warned Major Puff.

From Literature

Fighting talk from his players about the introspection sessions they have put themselves through since the implosions of the autumn were words that were not acted upon when the first test of their mettle arrived.

From BBC

Related Words

• bravery
• caliber
• courage
• fortitude
• grit
• spunk
• stamina
• temperament