Bill ZehmeWilliam Shakespeare
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Is mettle Connected to Metal?
Originally, mettle was simply a variant spelling of the word metal (which dates to at least the 13th century), and it was used in all of the same senses as its metallic relative. Over time, however, mettle came to be used mainly in figurative senses referring to the quality of someone's character. It eventually became a distinct English word in its own right, losing its literal sense altogether. Metal remained a term primarily used for those hard, shiny substances such as steel or iron, but it also acquired a figurative use. Today, both words can mean "vigor and strength of spirit or temperament," but only metal is used of metallic substances.
Examples of mettle in a Sentence
Armond White, National Review, 27 Mar. 2024
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire helped to further popularize the form in the ’30s, after which came a Golden Age of musicals during which silver-screen renditions of Broadway hits (My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Gigi) proved their box-office mettle all over again.
—Vogue, 26 Mar. 2024
The Badgers then showed their championship mettle as AJ Storr and Tyler Wahl each hit two free throws and UW got one final stop thanks to a block by Wahl to escape with a 61-59 victory Tuesday night at Williams Arena.
—Journal Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2024
Activist Maria Teresa Griffin, who proved her mettle in fight against East L.A. prison, dies
Maria Teresa Griffin, a founding member of the Mothers of East Los Angeles protest group, has died after battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Political observers speculated that Mr. Mulroney, who came from humble roots in Quebec, saw himself as an outsider constantly needing to prove his mettle.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024
Twice, when asked to prove their mettle, the Hoosiers managed only casual surrender, in a pair of games that suggest this team’s season will not last beyond spring break.
—Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Jan. 2024
In every leader's journey, a moment arises that tests their mettle, presenting challenges that range from internal organizational hurdles to global crises like the Covid-19 pandemic.
—Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024
The 49ers, after all, proved their mettle with second-half comebacks in last month’s playoff wins.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mettle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mettle
Cite this Entry
“Mettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mettle. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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mettle
noun
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