stiff

[stif]

adjective

stiffer, stiffest 

1. rigid or firm; difficult or impossible to bend or flex.

   a stiff collar.

   Synonyms: unyielding, unbending

2. not moving or working easily.

   The motor was a little stiff from the cold weather.

3. (of a person or animal) not supple; moving with difficulty, as from cold, age, exhaustion, or injury.

4. strong; forceful; powerful: The fighter threw a stiff right to his opponent's jaw.

   stiff winds;

   The fighter threw a stiff right to his opponent's jaw.

5. strong or potent to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine.

   He was cold and wanted a good stiff drink.

6. resolute; firm in purpose; unyielding; stubborn.

   Synonyms: unrelenting, pertinacious, obstinate, resolved

7. stubbornly continued.

   a stiff battle.

8. firm against any tendency to decrease, as stock-market prices.

9. rigidly formal; cold and unfriendly, as people, manners, or proceedings.

   Synonyms: prim, constrained, reserved

10. lacking ease and grace; awkward.

    a stiff style of writing.

    Synonyms: inelegant, graceless

11. excessively regular or formal, as a design; not graceful in form or arrangement.

12. laborious or difficult, as a task.

13. severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand.

14. excessive; unusually high or great.

    $50 is pretty stiff to pay for that.

15. firm from tension; taut.

    to keep a stiff rein.

16. relatively firm in consistency, as semisolid matter; thick.

    a stiff jelly;

    a stiff batter.

17. dense or compact; not friable.

    stiff soil.

18. Nautical.,  (of a vessel) having a high resistance to rolling; stable (crank ).

19. Scot. and North England.,  sturdy, stout, or strongly built.

20. Australian Slang.,  out of luck; unfortunate.

noun

1. Slang.

   1. a dead body; corpse.

   2. a formal or priggish person.

   3. a poor tipper; tightwad.

   4. a drunk.

2. Slang.

   1. a fellow.

      lucky stiff; poor stiff.

   2. a tramp; hobo.

   3. a laborer.

3. Slang.

   1. a forged check.

   2. a promissory note or bill of exchange.

   3. a letter or note, especially if secret or smuggled.

4. Slang.,  a contestant, especially a racehorse, sure to lose.

adverb

1. in or to a firm or rigid state.

   The wet shirt was frozen stiff.

2. completely, intensely, or extremely: We're scared stiff.

   I'm bored stiff by these lectures.

   We're scared stiff.

verb (used with object)

1. Slang.,  to fail or refuse to tip (a waiter, porter, etc.).

2. Slang.,  to cheat; swindle; do out of.

   The company stiffed me out of a week's pay.

stiff

/ stɪf /

adjective

1. not easily bent; rigid; inflexible

2. not working or moving easily or smoothly

   a stiff handle

3. difficult to accept in its severity or harshness

   a stiff punishment

4. moving with pain or difficulty; not supple

   a stiff neck

5. difficult; arduous

   a stiff climb

6. unrelaxed or awkward; formal

7. firmer than liquid in consistency; thick or viscous

8. powerful; strong

   a stiff breeze

   a stiff drink

9. excessively high

   a stiff price

10. nautical (of a sailing vessel) relatively resistant to heeling or rolling Compare tender 1

11. lacking grace or attractiveness

12. stubborn or stubbornly maintained

    a stiff fight

13. obsolete,  tightly stretched; taut

14. slang,  unlucky

15. slang,  intoxicated

16. See lip

17. informal,  amply provided with

noun

1. slang,  a corpse

2. slang,  anything thought to be a loser or a failure; flop

adverb

1. completely or utterly

   bored stiff

   frozen stiff

verb

1. slang,  (intr) to fail

   the film stiffed

2. slang,  (tr) to cheat or swindle

3. slang,  (tr) to kill

Other Word Forms

• stiffish adjective
• stiffness noun
• stiffly adverb
• overstiff adjective
• overstiffly adverb
• semistiff adjective
• semistiffly adverb
• unstiff adjective
• unstiffly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stiff¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English stif, stijf, Old English stīf; cognate with German steif, Old Norse stífr; akin to Latin stīpāre “to crowd, press” ( steeve ¹ ( def. ), stifle ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of stiff¹

Old English stīf; related to Old Norse stīfla to dam up, Middle Low German stīf stiff, Latin stīpēs wooden post, stīpāre to press

Idioms and Phrases

• bore to death (stiff)
• keep a stiff upper lip
• scare out of one's wits (stiff)

Synonym Study

See firm ¹.

Example Sentences

He often mixed silk and wool or silk and linen for a softer alternative to the heavy, stiff gabardines and worsted wools that were typical for men’s suits and jackets.

From Los Angeles Times

Armani took away the restrictions and confinements of stiffer styles that went before him - making men feel sophisticated and women empowered in the workplace.

From BBC

Even when he was “healthy” over that span, Kershaw would often wake up in the morning with a stiff back or aching hips.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead of Spanish wine, I brought a flask of mezcal — I don’t think he would have minded the stiffer drink in this 2025.

From Los Angeles Times

These include stiffer fines, longer jail terms and even caning.

From BBC

Related Words

• brisk 
• excessive 
• extreme 
• hard 
• harsh 
• heavy 
• rigorous 
• sharp 
• steep 
• strict 
• stringent 
• strong 
• vigorous