Bill ZehmeWilliam Shakespeare
Did you know?
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
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2025
Kirby Smart’s defense is unrecognizable from his best teams, but the Bulldogs still have championship mettle.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The Hawks won their opening game by dispatching a very talented Bishop Feehan squad, which showed its mettle with a win over Chelmsford (24-12) in Week 2.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
The jets, obtained from the United States, had proven their mettle, operating in an environment saturated with enemy radars.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mettle
Cite this Entry
“Mettle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mettle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mettle
noun
Share