as in strength
strength of spirit; ability to continue despite difficulties
He showed his mettle as a fighter tonight with a heroic comeback.
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Recent Examples of mettle
McAfee has competed successfully at significant events, defeating Austin Theory at WrestleMania 38, overcoming Happy Corbin at SummerSlam 2022, and besting The Miz at WrestleMania 39, proving his mettle as both a top-tier commentator and a surprisingly solid competitor.
—
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro are also seen as having presidential mettle.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
As North America’s ski season winds down, passionate skiers and snowboarders begin making plans to test their mettle on the slopes of South America where the ski season begins in earnest in June and usually runs to October.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Having revealed their mettle by simply getting to New York, they’re neither limited by policy nor the circumstances that instigated their migration to begin with.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mettle
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro are also seen as having presidential mettle.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
As North America’s ski season winds down, passionate skiers and snowboarders begin making plans to test their mettle on the slopes of South America where the ski season begins in earnest in June and usually runs to October.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Having revealed their mettle by simply getting to New York, they’re neither limited by policy nor the circumstances that instigated their migration to begin with.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mettle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mettle
Noun
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On the services side, leisure and hospitality (38,000) and financial activities (20,000) provided some signs of strength.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
4 June 2025
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Rather than demanding Arab and Muslim partners choose sides, Trump understands that a prosperous Gulf can engage from strength.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
And although the oceanic and overland legs of Twain’s journey required more patience and stamina than even a flight out of Newark, the hassle—and, more especially, the expense—worked in his favor.—
Caity Weaver,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2025
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Anyone unfamiliar with the basic combat rhythm of blocking, dodging, and expended precious stamina for an attack will die repeatedly even from basic groups of foes.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2025
Noun
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But that, in itself, speaks to the power of acknowledging reality onscreen — even in science-fiction.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 May 2025
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If the Heat doesn’t extend that qualifying offer, Mitchell would become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and Miami would lose the power to always have an opportunity match outside offers.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
Noun
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That vision inspired the recent launch of Courage for Cam, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading hope, love, and courage to children facing pediatric cancer.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
2 June 2025
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Israel urgently needs new, sober leadership with clear realistic vision and self-confidence—leadership capable of reading our people's soul, understanding partners' and rivals' minds, and above all, having courage to make decisions and power to implement them.—
Ehud Barak,
Time,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mettle. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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