steadiness

Everyday

1. Being firm and not shaking or wobbling. tree →
2. Being regular and even, without sudden changes. tree →
3. Being calm, sensible and reliable. tree →

In the lessons

In PE and science, steadiness means balance: a steady hand in a hoop-and-wire game, steadiness on a balance beam. In stories, steadiness of a character means they are calm and trustworthy in a crisis. In maths and science graphs, steadiness means a steady rate, no jumps.

Examples

• Holding the tray, the waiter showed great steadiness. tree →
• Surgeons need steadiness of hand. tree →
• Her steadiness in the crisis calmed everyone. tree →
• The steadiness of the rain meant the river rose slowly. tree →
• We admired the steadiness of the tightrope walker. tree →
• The graph shows the steadiness of the temperature all day. tree →

Note

Uncountable; from «steady» (y → i + -ness). Opposite: shakiness, unsteadiness.