steadily

American  

[sted-i-lee] / ˈstɛd ɪ li /

adverb

1. in a way that moves constantly and at an even pace or in the same direction.

   My dedication and commitment to teaching are proven by my steadily increasing student evaluation scores.

   Despite numerous legislative attempts to constrain spending over the past 40 years, the deficit problem has marched steadily on.

2. in a continuous, uniform way.

   It rained steadily all day yesterday and by evening the river was almost overflowing.

3. in a calm, fixed, or unwavering way.

   He just stood there, holding his ground and gazing steadily at her, into those dark eyes.

4. in a firm, stable way.

   Binoculars with larger magnification tend to be overly bulky and difficult to hold steadily.

5. in a determined, persevering, or resolute way.

   She told him, “Seek peace of mind and hold steadily to your faith.”

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Other Word Forms

• oversteadily adverb

Etymology

Origin of steadily

steady ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

Something that happens steadily occurs at a predictable, reliable, unchanging pace. If it keeps raining for hours, it's been raining steadily. If you stand outside without an umbrella, you will steadily get drenched. Anything that keeps happening at a regular clip is happening steadily. A politician who campaigns every day for months has been campaigning steadily. If you write an hour a day on a novel, the novel is growing steadily. The opposite of steadily is unsteadily, which would describe something that happens in an irregular, shaky, or unpredictable way. Anything done steadily goes on and on.

Example Sentences

Brands such as Volkswagen, Toyota and BMW once dominated in China, but have steadily lost market share to domestic firms that beat them to the electric vehicle revolution and undercut them on price.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

But for all its celebrity ties, the property struggled to find a buyer—prompting Lizzo to steadily lower her asking price on multiple occasions over the following year, eventually dropping it to $12.5 million in January.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

They have steadily learned how to transform it.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026

Electric Boat’s head count has steadily climbed over the past decade after the government in 2010 approved plans to build two nuclear-powered submarines a year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The pack was still drifting steadily northward, carrying Endurance with it.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• regularly