stiff Hear it!

stiff Definition

stiff (stif)

adjective

  1. hard to bend or stretch; rigid; firm; not flexible or pliant
  2. hard to move or operate; not free or limber
  3. stretched tight; taut; tense
    1. sore or limited in movement: said of joints and muscles
    2. having such joints or muscles, as from exertion, cold, etc.
  5. not fluid or loose; viscous; thick; dense; firm to beat egg whites until stiff
  6. strong; specif.,
    1. moving swiftly, as a breeze or current
    2. containing much alcohol: said of a drink
    3. of high potency a stiff dose of medicine
    4. done or delivered with great force; powerful
  7. harsh stiff punishment
  8. difficult to do or deal with a stiff climb, stiff competition
  9. excessively formal, constrained, or awkward; not easy, natural, or graceful
  10. resolute, stubborn, or uncompromising, as a person, a fight, etc.
  11. Informal high or excessive a stiff price
  12. Slang drunk; intoxicated
  13. Naut. not careening or heeling over much despite the amount of sail carried or the strength of the wind

Etymology: ME stif < OE, akin to Ger steif < IE *stip-, a pole, stick together (var. of base *steib(h)-, rod) > L stipes, stem, stake, log, stipare, to crowd, cram

adverb

  1. to a stiff condition
  2. Informal completely; thoroughly scared stiff

noun

  1. ☆ a corpse
  2. ☆ a drunken person
  3. an excessively formal or constrained person
  4. ☆ an awkward or rough person
  5. ☆ a hobo
  6. ☆ a man a working stiff
  7. a person who gives a small tip or no gratuity at all

transitive verb stiffed, stiff′·ing

  1. to cheat (someone), as by not paying
  2. to fail to leave a tip for

stiff Related Forms
stiff′·ish adjective stiff′ly adverb stiff′·ness noun
stiff Synonyms

stiff

modif.

  1. Not easily bent

    solid, rigid, congealed, petrified, ossified, firm, tense, unyielding, inflexible, inelastic, hard, hardened, starched, annealed, cemented, stony, starchy, taut, contracted, thick, indurate, stubborn, obstinate, pertinacious, numb, unbending, thickened, wooden, steely, frozen, solidified, chilled, benumbed, refractory.

    Antonyms flexible*, softened, soft.

  2. Formal

    ungainly, ungraceful, unnatural; see awkward.

  3. Severe

    rigorous, exact, strict; see severe 1, 2.

  4. Obstinate

    stubborn, inflexible, headstrong; see obstinate 1.

  5. Potent

    hard, potent, powerful; see strong 8.

  6. *Difficult

    arduous, hard, laborious; see difficult 1. See syn. study at firm.

stiff Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • bored: Tanya: Yer sure I will watch to probably, so that Em, doesn't get bored stiff.

Modifies a noun

  • breeze: We just couldn't make any significant headway despite having the benefit of a stiff breeze behind our backs.
  • lip: Press Release: March 2003 Does the stiff upper lip really work?
  • neck: I didn't even have a stiff neck the next day.
  • competition: A few weeks later he fought off stiff competition to win Best of Breed at the National Cat Club show.
  • opposition: Elaine aims to break back into the Harrier's national league team where she will face stiffer opposition.
  • dough: Add enough cold water to form a stiff dough.

Modifying Another Word

  • scared: Critics of established art are scared stiff by this.
  • fairly: New approach to really a call fuel pump quot a fairly stiff.
  • pretty: It's pretty stiff, the front bumper we have now.
  • slightly: Max is now in relatively good health for age apart from slightly stiff joints which he takes a supplement for.
  • rather: Mix with treacle or golden syrup, making a rather stiff mixture.

Noun used with modifier

  • bit: I also read a comment about the strap being a bit stiff.

Used with adjective complement

  • bore: Personally, I'm bored stiff with In the Mood.
  • scare: They seem to be scared stiff that ten or a dozen Bolsheviks will infect the whole world.
  • freeze: They found him three days later, frozen stiff in that old truck.
  • feel: If your ankles feel stiff in the morning, allowing some time for the joints to ' loosen up ' will usually help.
  • seem: I did think the cast looked happier and didn't seem quite as stiff as they had been at the first performance.
  • become: For more severe injuries, the joint can become stiff, unstable or " locked " .

Preposition: in

  • morning: Common problems: My pet is a bit stiff in the mornings.

Browse dictionary entries near stiff

  1. ‹ Stieglitz
  2. ‹ sticky wicket
  3. ‹ sticky fingers
  4. ‹ sticky
  5. ‹ stickwork
  6. ‹ stickweed
  7. ‹ stickup
  8. ‹ stickum
  9. ‹ sticktight
  10. ‹ stickseed
  1. stiff-arm ›
  2. stiff-necked ›
  3. stiffen ›
  4. stifle ›
  5. stifling ›
  6. stigma ›
  7. stigmasterol ›
  8. stigmata ›
  9. stigmatic ›
  10. stigmatism ›