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definitions

stiffener

[stif-uh-ner, stif-ner]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stiffener ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that stiffens.
any substance, as starch or buckram, that serves to stiffen fabric.

Origin of stiffener

First recorded in 1690–1700; stiffen + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stiffener

backing, cornerstone, footing, buttress, groundwork, rod, back, rest, pole, bed, rampart, rib, timber, foothold, stanchion, lining, bedding, stake, stave, prop

Examples from the Web for stiffener

Historical Examples of stiffener

  • "Weel, that is a stiffener," he said, drawing a long breath.

    A Son of Hagar

    Sir Hall Caine

  • I say, Lane, fetch me a nobbler of brandy; a stiffener, mind.

    The Book of the Bush

    George Dunderdale

  • Another draught, Anthony; a stiffener to thy courage, mayhap.

  • The fact is, my head is so heavy, that it rolls about on my shoulders; and I must have a stiffener down my throat to prop it up.

    Olla Podrida

    Frederick Marryat

  • Lane fetched the stiffener in a soda-water bottle, and it cleared the legal atmosphere.

    The Book of the Bush

    George Dunderdale