mettle

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mettle distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of mettle are courage, resolution, spirit, and tenacity. While all these words mean "mental or moral strength to resist opposition, danger, or hardship," mettle suggests an ingrained capacity for meeting strain or difficulty with fortitude and resilience.

a challenge that will test your mettle

When can courage be used instead of mettle?

While the synonyms courage and mettle are close in meaning, courage implies firmness of mind and will in the face of danger or extreme difficulty.

the courage to support unpopular causes

When could resolution be used to replace mettle?

The words resolution and mettle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, resolution stresses firm determination to achieve one's ends.

the resolution of pioneer women

When might spirit be a better fit than mettle?

The meanings of spirit and mettle largely overlap; however, spirit also suggests a quality of temperament enabling one to hold one's own or keep up one's morale when opposed or threatened.

her spirit was unbroken by failure

How do tenacity and resolution relate to one another, in the sense of mettle?

Tenacity adds to resolution implications of stubborn persistence and unwillingness to admit defeat.

held to their beliefs with great tenacity

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mettle 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 The obstacles continue even after the team proves their mettle. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2025 Played with exuberance by Jacob Laval, Austin is a disrupter and catalyst, a lesson in joyful mettle to everyone around him — especially his parents (Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy). Sheri Linden, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 Gold showed its mettle (so to speak) on Black Monday in 1987, amid the popping of the dot-com bubble in 2001, during the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 and also the pandemic’s onset in 2020. Larry Light, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mettle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mettle
Noun
  • In the first half of the 20th century, even as labor unions gained strength elsewhere, there was a fear of giving federal workers too much say over how the nation's laws were carried out.
    Andrea Hsu, NPR, 11 May 2025
  • The Celtics’ greatest strength and greatest flaw is their persistence.
    Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 May 2025
Noun
  • Quality sleep sharpens your decision-making, improves emotional intelligence and gives you the stamina to lead with clarity and confidence.
    Ankur Bindal, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
  • That and his commitment to improving his performance and mental stamina have led him to a lot of athletic success, including with his current team.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2025
Noun
  • The show explores themes of power, identity and culture in Harlem.
    Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 5 May 2025
  • Bucharest Reuters — Romanians voted on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election that could propel hard-right eurosceptic George Simion to power in a ballot that will test the rise of Donald Trump-style nationalism in the European Union.
    Reuters, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
Noun
  • The book features contributions from leading activists, artists and ordinary citizens, who tell their own stories of breathtaking courage, cultural innovations and acts of resistance.
    Lizz Schumer, People.com, 9 May 2025
  • My performance tells American stories of courage, sacrifice, and resilience, and they should be told and appreciated by all.
    Annette Hubbell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mettle. Accessed 19 May. 2025.

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