Sterling

/ˈstɜːlɪŋ/ adj, name, noun

adj, name, noun ·Common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: An English silver penny first introduced by the Normans.
  • Grammar: sterling is listed as adj, name, noun.
  • Nearest alternatives: admirable, and pence, authentic, blameless.
  • Useful contrasts: fine silver, foreign, foreign currency.
  • Usage evidence: His supervisor gave him a sterling recommendation.

How to use "sterling"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sterling" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sterling" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sterling" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sterling" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "sterling" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "admirable" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "sterling", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An English silver penny first introduced by the Normans. countable

    "Nummus […] is taken for braſſe pens, or els pieces of ſiluer of the valu of a dandiprat or i. d. ob. a pece or there about, ſo that yͤ thouſand peces wer moche about the ſomme of twentie nobles sterlynges [i.e., nobles of sterlings]."

  2. 2
    Obsolete form of starling (“a family, Sturnidae, of passerine birds; specifically, the common starling, Sturnus vulgaris, which has dark, iridescent plumage”). alt-of, obsolete
  3. 3
    Obsolete form of starling (“an enclosure like a coffer-dam, formed of piles driven closely together before any structure or work, as a protection against the wash of waves, commonly used to protect the piers of a bridge”). alt-of, obsolete

    "Near the bridge the bubbles rose large as oak-apples; he was kicking four webs together, having sighted the fish. The bubbles ended in another swirl by a weed-fringed sterling, and a delicate swift water-arrow shot away between the two piers of the middle arch—the peal, or sea-trout, had gone down, passing three inches off the snapt jaws."

  4. 4
    British money; especially the pound sterling as the basic monetary unit of the UK wordnet
  5. 5
    A penny issued in other countries, such as Scotland. broadly, countable
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    The currency of the United Kingdom, based on the pound sterling; hence, genuine English or British currency, as contrasted with foreign currency. broadly, uncountable

    "Ophe[lia]. He hath my Lord of late made many tenders / Of his affection to me. / […] / Pol[onius]. Marry I vvill teach you, thinke your ſelfe a babie / That you haue tane [taken] theſe tenders for true pay / VVhich are not ſterling, tender your ſelfe more dearely […]"

  2. 7
    Short for sterling silver (“an alloy containing not less than 92.5 percent silver, the remainder usually being copper; articles made from this alloy collectively”). abbreviation, alt-of, broadly, uncountable

    "Many of the women cleaned house for other women, soaping fine china and polishing heavy sterling, […]"

  3. 8
    Former British gold or silver coinage of a standard fineness (0.91666 for gold and 0.925 for silver). broadly, historical, uncountable

    "[…] Sterling vvas the knovvn and approved Standard in England, in all Probability, from the Beginning of King Henry the Second's Reign. But King John vvas undoubtedly the firſt vvho introduced Sterling Money in Ireland."

  4. 9
    Synonym of pennyweight (“a unit of mass equal to 24 grains, or ¹⁄₂₀ of a troy ounce”) broadly, countable, obsolete

    "[E]ight of them [carats] make but one Sterlin, and a Sterlin is the 24 part of an ounce."

  5. 10
    Money generally. broadly, obsolete, uncountable
  6. 11
    The standard degree of fineness. broadly, obsolete, uncountable

    "[T]he Lavv hath not left it in the Povver of the Prerogative to compel the Subject to take any Money, beſide Gold and Silver of the Right Sterling and Standard."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or relating to the currency of the United Kingdom, or former types of English or British coinage. not-comparable, usually

    "[…] King William [the Lion] vvas to pay 100000. l. [pound] Striueling for his ranſome, the one half in preſent coin, the other 50000 l. vpon time."

  2. 2
    Of silver: being of standard quality. not-comparable, usually
  3. 3
    Of a thing: of or relating to, or made from, sterling silver. not-comparable, usually

    "The ſterling mark upon plate, and the ſtamps upon linen and vvoollen cloth, give the purchaſer much greater ſecurity than any ſtatute of apprenticeſhip."

  4. 4
    Of English (or (obsolete) Scottish) currency: genuine, of legal tender. archaic, not-comparable, usually

    "Pray thee peace, pay her the debt you ovve her, and vnpay the villany you haue done vvith her, the one you may doe vvith ſterling mony, and the other vvith currant repentance."

  5. 5
    Of acknowledged influence; authoritative; also, of high or excellent quality; of proven worth. comparable, figuratively, not-comparable, usually

    "[…] I knovv your Opinion is current and ſterling: […]"

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    Having currency (“general acceptance, recognition, or use”). comparable, figuratively, not-comparable, obsolete, usually

    "This waie of exerciſe was […] made ſterling agayne by M. Quintilian: […]"

Adjective
  1. 1
    highest in quality wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A Scottish surname, variant of Stirling.
  2. 2
    An English surname, thought to be a variant of Starling.
  3. 3
    A unisex given name transferred from the surname.
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska.
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of Logan County, Colorado.
Show 23 more definitions
  1. 6
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Windham County, Connecticut.
  2. 7
    A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Glynn County, Georgia.
  3. 8
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Bingham County, Idaho.
  4. 9
    A number of places in the United States:; A city in Whiteside County, Illinois.
  5. 10
    A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Jackson County, Iowa.
  6. 11
    A number of places in the United States:; A city in Rice County, Kansas, named after Sterling Rosan.
  7. 12
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Worcester County, Massachusetts.
  8. 13
    A number of places in the United States:; A village in Deep River Township, Arenac County, Michigan.
  9. 14
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Howell County, Missouri.
  10. 15
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Madison County, Montana.
  11. 16
    A number of places in the United States:; A village in Johnson County, Nebraska.
  12. 17
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Cayuga County, New York.
  13. 18
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
  14. 19
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Burleigh County, North Dakota.
  15. 20
    A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Milton Township, Wayne County, Ohio.
  16. 21
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Comanche County, Oklahoma.
  17. 22
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Woodward Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
  18. 23
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Sanpete County, Utah.
  19. 24
    A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Loudoun County, Virginia.
  20. 25
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Skagit County, Washington.
  21. 26
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Polk County, Wisconsin.
  22. 27
    A number of places in the United States:; A town in Vernon County, Wisconsin.
  23. 28
    A number of places in the United States:; A number of townships, listed under Sterling Township.

Synonyms

All synonyms
admirableand penceauthenticblamelessbona fidecandid

Antonyms

fine silverforeignforeign currencyinferior

Example

"His supervisor gave him a sterling recommendation."

Common questions

What does "sterling" mean?

An English silver penny first introduced by the Normans.

What is a synonym for "sterling"?

Common synonyms include: admirable, and pence, authentic, blameless, bona fide, candid.

How do you use "sterling" in a sentence?

His supervisor gave him a sterling recommendation.

How do you pronounce "sterling"?

Pronounced /ˈstɜːlɪŋ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Possibly from Old English *steorling, from steorra (“star”) and -ling, in reference to the stars that appeared on certain English pennies. Alternatively, the first element may be *stēre, meaning “strong” or “stout” (compare the etymology of solidus).

Etymology 2

See starling (etymology 1).

Etymology 3

See starling (etymology 2).

Etymology 4

See Stirling.

More for "sterling"

Synonyms

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