The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word STABILITY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
T
A
B
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The straight part
We know that "steadiness" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case steadiness = stability.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does STABILITY mean?
STABILITY noun- The condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change.
- The tendency to recover from perturbations.