Sterling
adj.capable, thoughtfulformal
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.
Choose between these
6- warm
when conduct or effort merits respect
not when Admiration can attach to courage despite an imperfect result.
- warm
when justified confidence in honesty or reliability matters
not when Trustworthiness says nothing about exceptional skill.
- professional
when high quality is the clear claim
not when Excellent can praise one result, while sterling often suggests a record.
- professional
when conduct offers a model to others
not when Exemplary can describe one action and is more explicitly moral.
- formal
when top quality has been demonstrated against a standard
not when First-rate emphasizes rank more than trustworthiness.
- literary
when integrity has survived serious scrutiny
not when Unimpeachable is a near-absolute claim and much stronger.
Said against
3- shoddy
- dishonorable
- inferior
It naturally appears in
3- sterling reputation
The mediator built a sterling reputation for patient impartiality.
- sterling service
Sterling service kept the mountain clinic open throughout the storm.
- sterling qualities
Her sterling qualities included candor, care, and disciplined follow-through.
Where this comes from
Sterling also means a silver alloy or British currency. The praise sense needs a human, service, or quality context.
- wiktionary, English adjective, excellent or valuable sense opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.