stiffness

American

[stif-nis] / ˈstɪf nɪs /

noun

the state or condition of being rigid or firm.

The bicycle’s frame is well balanced, with excellent stiffness throughout.
Conventional wisdom has been that longer knife blades need more carbon for stiffness.
the state or condition of being unable to move easily.

Proper stretching will help you avoid joint stiffness and muscle tension after a workout.
lack of ease or grace.

The teacher offers advice on how to get over the stiffness or outright paralysis that can creep in when people make writing into a “big deal.”
the state or condition of being rigidly formal.

There was a stiffness to the encounter, but the ambassador was not unfriendly.
If representatives meet only under official circumstances, a degree of stiffness is introduced which does not allow people to exchange ideas as freely.
the state or condition of being excessive, difficult, or severe.

The council expressed concern about the stiffness of the fines and sentences for such minor infractions.
(of soil) the state or condition of being compact; density.

A variety of sediment samples are needed in order to recover different types of sediment, mainly based on their stiffness.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

stiffnesses

plural

Etymology

Origin of stiffness

stiff ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

stiffness stiffnesses

The progressive neurological condition gradually damages brain cells involved in movement, often causing tremors, muscle stiffness, slowed movement, and difficulties with coordination.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

Cancer research has traditionally concentrated on chemical signals and the stiffness of the tissues surrounding tumors.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Across the U.S., private clubs of all pedigrees—golf, country, city or yacht—are shedding old-money stiffness and rebuilding as multigenerational family playgrounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Doctors then looked into her case further and concluded she in fact did not have the autoimmune disease, which can cause muscle stiffness and problems with walking and talking.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

He got to his feet, swaying from stiffness, trying to shake off sleep and that awful dream.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Increasingly it was more difficult to fight the aches and stiffnesses which tried to keep her in bed in the morning—not that they ever succeeded.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

The youthful works of genius are generally the best, their very crudities and stiffnesses adorable.

From The Altar Fire by Arthur Christopher Benson

And I felt very sorry for Carette, and did not wonder so much now at the little stiffnesses of manner I had noticed in her the last time we met.

From Carette of Sark by John Oxenham

And the muslins and blue ribbons will be wonderful filmy creations, as different from the Early Victorian stiffnesses as anything you can possibly imagine.

From Betty Trevor by Victor Prout

It blows fogs, foul vapours, joint- stiffnesses, agues, pestilences, over us here,—yes, here!

From The Adventures of Harry Richmond — Volume 4 by George Meredith

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023