stiff

[ stif ]

/ stɪf /

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See synonyms for: stiff / stiffed / stiffing / stiffs on Thesaurus.com

adjective, stiff·er, stiff·est.

rigid or firm; difficult or impossible to bend or flex: a stiff collar.

not moving or working easily: The motor was a little stiff from the cold weather.

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

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

strong or potent to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine: He was cold and wanted a good stiff drink.

resolute; firm in purpose; unyielding; stubborn.

stubbornly continued: a stiff battle.

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

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

lacking ease and grace; awkward: a stiff style of writing.

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

laborious or difficult, as a task.

severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand.

excessive; unusually high or great: $50 is pretty stiff to pay for that.

firm from tension; taut: to keep a stiff rein.

relatively firm in consistency, as semisolid matter; thick: a stiff jelly;a stiff batter.

dense or compact; not friable: stiff soil.

Nautical. (of a vessel) having a high resistance to rolling; stable (opposed to crank²).

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

Australian Slang. out of luck; unfortunate.

noun

Slang.

a dead body; corpse.
a formal or priggish person.
a poor tipper; tightwad.
a drunk.

Slang.

a fellow: lucky stiff; poor stiff.
a tramp; hobo.
a laborer.

Slang.

a forged check.
a promissory note or bill of exchange.
a letter or note, especially if secret or smuggled.

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

adverb

in or to a firm or rigid state: The wet shirt was frozen stiff.

completely, intensely, or extremely: I'm bored stiff by these lectures.We're scared stiff.

verb (used with object)

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

Slang. to cheat; swindle; do out of: The company stiffed me out of a week's pay.

OTHER WORDS FOR stiff

1 unbending, unyielding.

6 resolved, obstinate, pertinacious; unrelenting.

9 reserved, constrained, starched, prim.

10 graceless, inelegant.

See synonyms for stiff on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of stiff

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” (see steeve¹, stifle¹)

synonym study for stiff

1. See firm¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM stiff

stiff·ish, adjectivestiff·ly, adverbstiff·ness, nouno·ver·stiff, adjective

o·ver·stiff·ly, adverbsem·i·stiff, adjectivesem·i·stiff·ly, adverbun·stiff, adjectiveun·stiff·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stiff in a sentence

My friend Tim LeBon, a London-based cognitive behavioral therapist and author, has done research on this to fight back against the “stiff upper lip” understanding of Stoicism.
The Joys of Being a Stoic - Issue 92: Frontiers|Massimo Pigliucci|November 4, 2020|Nautilus
The Independent faces stiff competition in establishing itself as a recognized global news brand to compete with the likes of The New York Times or The Guardian, said media analyst Ian Whittaker.
‘Scale with great context’: The Independent eyes global expansion|Lara O'Reilly|October 26, 2020|Digiday
Those connections are stiff and resist bending under pressure.
The diabolical ironclad beetle can survive getting run over by a car. Here’s how|Maria Temming|October 21, 2020|Science News
Hand-knee crawling also gently engages your hips and shoulders, which tend to get stiff from sitting for long periods of time.
Pocket This Anti-Stress Routine for Difficult Days|Lauren Bedosky|October 20, 2020|Outside Online

In fact, if you want a stiffer challenge, try doing this puzzle entirely in your head.
Celebrating the Playful Magic of John Horton Conway|Pradeep Mutalik|October 15, 2020|Quanta Magazine
And—to judge by the guy in a suit with an earpiece standing stiffly in the hotel lobby—Commissioner has a security detail of one.
Up to a Point: The U.S. Government’s Minimum Wage Is $430 Million Per Hour|P. J. O’Rourke|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Abed, seemingly exhausted from translating, stood stiffly and went to use the bathroom.
The Fourth War: My Lunch with a Jihadi|Elliot Ackerman|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were intermediates too—like at Stella McCartney, where a sweater dress stiffly jutted from a clean-cut ensemble.
Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs: Big Hips on the Runway|Misty White Sidell|March 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But Sarkozy looked haggard when he stiffly walked out of the hospital Monday afternoon in his ubiquitous dark suit.
Did Carla Wear Him Out?|Eric Pape|July 28, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The plain furniture was stiffly arranged, and there was no litter of clothing or small feminine belongings.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
He drew himself up more stiffly than before, as he declined the offer.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He bowed a trifle stiffly, and was surprised to have his bow returned with a graciousness that amounted almost to cordiality.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
The Frenchman's blade scintillated in the setting sun around Haggard's more stiffly held weapon.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Zeal, who was sitting stiffly forward, his hands gripping the arms of his chair, laughed dryly.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for stiff

stiff

/ (stɪf) /

adjective

not easily bent; rigid; inflexible

not working or moving easily or smoothlya stiff handle

difficult to accept in its severity or harshnessa stiff punishment

moving with pain or difficulty; not supplea stiff neck

difficult; arduousa stiff climb

unrelaxed or awkward; formal

firmer than liquid in consistency; thick or viscous

powerful; stronga stiff breeze; a stiff drink

excessively higha stiff price

nautical (of a sailing vessel) relatively resistant to heeling or rollingCompare tender 1 (def. 11)

lacking grace or attractiveness

stubborn or stubbornly maintaineda stiff fight

obsolete tightly stretched; taut

slang, mainly Australian unlucky

slang intoxicated

stiff upper lip See lip (def. 9)

stiff with informal amply provided with

noun

slang a corpse

slang anything thought to be a loser or a failure; flop

adverb

completely or utterlybored stiff; frozen stiff

verb

(intr) slang to failthe film stiffed

(tr) slang, mainly US to cheat or swindle

(tr) slang to kill

Derived forms of stiff

stiffish, adjectivestiffly, adverbstiffness, noun

Word Origin for stiff

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with stiff

stiff

In addition to the idioms beginning with stiff

stiff as a board
stiff upper lip

also see:

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

stiff

OTHER WORDS FOR stiff

Origin of stiff

synonym study for stiff

OTHER WORDS FROM stiff

Words related to stiff

How to use stiff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stiff

Derived forms of stiff

Word Origin for stiff

Other Idioms and Phrases with stiff