A steering apparatus comprising: a steering shaft having a lower shaft and a tubular upper shaft which are coupled together with a suitable fit that allows relative movement between the upper shaft and the lower shaft ; an upper jacket having a first end in a column axis direction, the first end being coupled to a steering member via the upper shaft ; a lower jacket slidably fitted externally on a second end of the upper jacket in the column axis direction; a supporting member that is fixed to a vehicle body and that supports the lower jacket ; a clamping mechanism that holds the upper jacket in a position relative to the lower jacket by clamping the lower jacket to the upper jacket ; a holding member held by the upper jacket ; and a resistive force generating mechanism that is movable together with the holding member in the column axis direction and that slides, when the upper jacket moves relative to the lower jacket during a secondary impact, relative to at least one of the supporting member and the lower jacket so as to generate a resistive force against movement of the upper jacket , wherein the resistive force generating mechanism includes a fixed portion fixed to the holding member , and an extension portion extending in the column axis direction and having a coupled portion that is coupled to the fixed portion at a predetermined location in the column axis direction, characterized in that the clamping mechanism clamps the lower jacket to the upper jacket via the supporting member and the extension portion , and the resistive force generating mechanism further includes a coupling stiffness reducing mechanism that reduces coupling stiffness between the fixed portion and the coupled portion of the extension portion so as to facilitate, when the clamping mechanism clamps the lower jacket to the upper jacket , deflection of the coupled portion of the extension portion relative to the fixed portion in a lateral direction as seen from the column axis direction. a steering shaft having a lower shaft and a tubular upper shaft which are coupled together with a suitable fit that allows relative movement between the upper shaft and the lower shaft ; an upper jacket having a first end in a column axis direction, the first end being coupled to a steering member via the upper shaft ; a lower jacket slidably fitted externally on a second end of the upper jacket in the column axis direction; a supporting member that is fixed to a vehicle body and that supports the lower jacket ; a clamping mechanism that holds the upper jacket in a position relative to the lower jacket by clamping the lower jacket to the upper jacket ; a holding member held by the upper jacket ; and a resistive force generating mechanism that is movable together with the holding member in the column axis direction and that slides, when the upper jacket moves relative to the lower jacket during a secondary impact, relative to at least one of the supporting member and the lower jacket so as to generate a resistive force against movement of the upper jacket , wherein the resistive force generating mechanism includes a fixed portion fixed to the holding member , and an extension portion extending in the column axis direction and having a coupled portion that is coupled to the fixed portion at a predetermined location in the column axis direction, characterized in that the clamping mechanism clamps the lower jacket to the upper jacket via the supporting member and the extension portion , and the resistive force generating mechanism further includes a coupling stiffness reducing mechanism that reduces coupling stiffness between the fixed portion and the coupled portion of the extension portion so as to facilitate, when the clamping mechanism clamps the lower jacket to the upper jacket , deflection of the coupled portion of the extension portion relative to the fixed portion in a lateral direction as seen from the column axis direction. <EOS>