Synonyms

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

These benefits include reducing blood pressure and vascular stiffness, improving the activation of neurons in the brain, reducing inflammation in the brain, lowering resting norepinephrine, and improving sleep.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Longer supplementation was also associated with reduced pain and stiffness among people with osteoarthritis.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

In setting out Jonathan’s defense, one of the filing’s most striking assertions is that Isak suffered from bilateral gonarthrosis in both knees, a degenerative joint condition that causes cartilage wear, pain, stiffness and reduced mobility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

While cerebral palsy is not degenerative, as Vicky ages she experiences increased stiffness, fatigue and secondary health challenges.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

To my surprise it opened after the first stiffness, and I went inside, bending my head because of the low door.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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

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

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

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