stiffen

[stif-uh n]

See more synonyms for stiffen on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to make stiff.

verb (used without object)

to become stiff.
to become suddenly tense, rigid, or taut, as in bracing oneself for or drawing back from shock, fear, or displeasure: He stiffened, expecting to hear the worst.

Origin of stiffen

First recorded in 1490–1500; stiff + -en¹

Related formso·ver·stiff·en, verbun·stiff·ened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for stiffen

strengthen, reinforce, solidify, stabilize, thicken, set, freeze, clot, prop, petrify, jell, inspissate, fix, condense, ossify, tauten, congeal, precipitate, inflate, anneal

Examples from the Web for stiffen

Contemporary Examples of stiffen

The embrace caused Susskind to stiffen up “like an unwilling virgin,” he later said.
Nikita Khrushchev, Talk Show Guest
Stephen Battaglio
November 20, 2010
She would break down to some degree, and then stiffen back up.
The Copycat Killer Mom
Harriet McLeod
August 17, 2010

Historical Examples of stiffen

Even as he held it up for all of them to see, his limbs began to jerk and stiffen.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
But they seemed to her to stiffen, against her will, and her embrace was surely mechanical.
A Spirit in Prison
Robert Hichens
And all the time his eyes were upon his wife, and I saw her stiffen as if she had been struck.
The Strolling Saint
Raphael Sabatini
White and tense, her hands clenched, Rosamund seemed to stiffen before him.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
Little by little his slack body began to stiffen; little by little he raised himself.
Once to Every Man
Larry Evans

British Dictionary definitions for stiffen

stiffen

verb

to make or become stiff or stiffer
(intr) to become suddenly tense or unyielding

Derived Formsstiffener, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for stiffen

1590s, from stiff (adj.) + -en (1). Related: Stiffened; stiffening.