Sterling
What it means
Consistently excellent, trustworthy, and of proven worth.
Reach for it when praising character, service, or work whose quality has held up over time
Her sterling record of fair decisions earned trust across the district.
Words to choose between 6
| warm | |
|---|---|
| professional | |
| formal |
|
| literary |
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warm
Fits when conduct or effort merits respect
Careful Admiration can attach to courage despite an imperfect result.
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warm
Fits when justified confidence in honesty or reliability matters
Careful Trustworthiness says nothing about exceptional skill.
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professional
Fits when high quality is the clear claim
Careful Excellent can praise one result, while sterling often suggests a record.
-
professional
Fits when conduct offers a model to others
Careful Exemplary can describe one action and is more explicitly moral.
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formal
Fits when top quality has been demonstrated against a standard
Careful First-rate emphasizes rank more than trustworthiness.
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literary
Fits when integrity has survived serious scrutiny
Careful Unimpeachable is a near-absolute claim and much stronger.
Opposites 3
- shoddy
- dishonorable
- inferior
Common phrases 3
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sterling reputation
The mediator built a sterling reputation for patient impartiality.
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sterling service
Sterling service kept the mountain clinic open throughout the storm.
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sterling qualities
Her sterling qualities included candor, care, and disciplined follow-through.
Usage notes
Keep in mind
Sterling also means a silver alloy or British currency. The praise sense needs a human, service, or quality context.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Naomi Persephone Amethyst, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated