Stiff STIFF, a. [Gr.]
1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not flaccid; rigid; applicable to any substance; as stiff wood; stiff paper; cloth stiff with starch; a limb stiff with frost.
They, rising on stiff pinions, tower the mid aerial sky.
2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; not soft nor hard. Thus melted metals grow stiff as they cool; they are stiff before they are hard. The paste is too stiff, or not stiff enough.
3. Strong; violent; impetuous in motion; as in seamens language, a stiff gale or breeze.
4. Hardy; stubborn; not easily subdued.
How stiff is my vile sense!
5. Obstinate; pertinacious; firm in perseverance or resistance.
It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument.
A war ensues; the Cretans own their cause, stiff to defend their hospitable laws.
6. Harsh; formal; constrained; not natural and easy; as a stiff formal style.
7. Formal in manner; constrained; affected; starched; not easy or natural; as stiff behavior.
The French are open, familiar and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious and reserved.
8. Strongly maintained, or asserted with good evidence.
This is stiff news.
9. In seamens language, a stiff vessel is one that will bear sufficient sail without danger of oversetting.

stiff adj 1: not moving or operating freely; "a stiff hinge" 2: powerful; "a stiff current"; "a stiff breeze" 3: rigidly formal; "a starchy manner"; "the letter was stiff and formal"; "his prose has a buckram quality" [syn: starchy, stiff, buckram] 4: having a strong physiological or chemical effect; "a potent toxin"; "potent liquor"; "a potent cup of tea", "a stiff drink" [syn: potent, strong, stiff] [ant: impotent] 5: marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable; "firm convictions"; "a firm mouth"; "steadfast resolve"; "a man of unbendable perseverence"; "unwavering loyalty" [syn: firm, steadfast, steady, stiff, unbendable, unfaltering, unshakable, unwavering] 6: incapable of or resistant to bending; "a rigid strip of metal"; "a table made of rigid plastic"; "a palace guardsman stiff as a poker"; "stiff hair"; "a stiff neck" [syn: rigid, stiff] 7: very drunk [syn: besotted, blind drunk, blotto, crocked, cockeyed, fuddled, loaded, pie-eyed, pissed, pixilated, plastered, slopped, sloshed, smashed, soaked, soused, sozzled, squiffy, stiff, tight, wet] n 1: an ordinary man; "a lucky stiff"; "a working stiff" 2: the dead body of a human being; "the cadaver was intended for dissection"; "the end of the police search was the discovery of a corpse"; "the murderer confessed that he threw the stiff in the river"; "honor comes to bless the turf that wraps their clay" [syn: cadaver, corpse, stiff, clay, remains] adv 1: extremely; "bored stiff"; "frightened stiff" 2: in a stiff manner; "his hands lay stiffly" [syn: stiffly, stiff]

stiff stɪf See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, SCARE OUT OF ONE'S WITS or SCARE STIFF.

stiff
adj. & n.
--adj.
1 rigid; not flexible.
2 hard to bend or move or turn etc.; not working freely.
3 hard to cope with; needing strength or effort (a stiff test; a stiff climb).
4 severe or strong (a stiff breeze; a stiff penalty).
5 (of a person or manner) formal, constrained; lacking spontaneity.
6 (of a muscle or limb etc., or a person affected by these) aching when used, owing to previous exertion, injury, etc.
7 (of an alcoholic or medicinal drink) strong.
8 (predic.) colloq. to an extreme degree (bored stiff; scared stiff).
9 (foll. by with) colloq. abounding in (a place stiff with tourists).
--n. sl.
1 a corpse.
2 a foolish or useless person (you big stiff).
Phrases and idioms:
stiff neck a rheumatic condition in which the head cannot be turned without pain. stiff-necked obstinate or haughty. stiff upper lip firmness, fortitude.
Derivatives:
stiffish adj. stiffly adv. stiffness n.
Etymology: OE stif f. Gmc

stiff (stiffer, stiffest) 1. Something that is stiff is firm or does not bend easily. His waterproof trousers were brand new and stiff... Clean the mussels with a stiff brush under cold running water. = rigid ADJ • stiffly Moira sat stiffly upright in her straight-backed chair. ADV: ADV adj, ADV with v 2. Something such as a door or drawer that is stiff does not move as easily as it should. Train doors have handles on the inside. They are stiff so that they cannot be opened accidentally. ADJ 3. If you are stiff, your muscles or joints hurt when you move, because of illness or because of too much exercise. The Mud Bath is particularly recommended for relieving tension and stiff muscles... I'm stiff all over right now–I hope I can recover for tomorrow's race. ADJ • stiffly He climbed stiffly from the Volkswagen. ADV 4. Stiff behaviour is rather formal and not very friendly or relaxed. They always seemed a little awkward with each other, a bit stiff and formal. ADJ • stiffly 'Why don't you borrow your sister's car?' said Cassandra stiffly. ...a stiffly worded letter of complaint. ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj 5. Stiff can be used to mean difficult or severe. The film faces stiff competition for the Best Film nomination... Under Greece's stiff anti-drugs laws they could face twenty years in jail. ADJ: usu ADJ n 6. A stiff drink is a large amount of a strong alcoholic drink. ...a stiff whisky. = large ADJ: ADJ n 7. If you are bored stiff, worried stiff, or scared stiff, you are extremely bored, worried, or scared. (INFORMAL) Anna tried to look interested. Actually, she was bored stiff... ADV: adj ADV [emphasis] • Stiff is also an adjective. Even if he bores you stiff, it is good manners not to let him know it. ADJ: v n ADJ

stiff stɪf adj. & n. --adj. 1 rigid; not flexible. 2 hard to bend or move or turn etc.; not working freely. 3 hard to cope with; needing strength or effort (a stiff test; a stiff climb). 4 severe or strong (a stiff breeze; a stiff penalty). 5 (of a person or manner) formal, constrained; lacking spontaneity. 6 (of a muscle or limb etc., or a person affected by these) aching when used, owing to previous exertion, injury, etc. 7 (of an alcoholic or medicinal drink) strong. 8 (predic.) colloq. to an extreme degree (bored stiff; scared stiff). 9 (foll. by with) colloq. abounding in (a place stiff with tourists). --n. sl. 1 a corpse. 2 a foolish or useless person (you big stiff). østiff neck a rheumatic condition in which the head cannot be turned without pain. stiff-necked obstinate or haughty. stiff upper lip firmness, fortitude. øøstiffish adj. stiffly adv. stiffness n. [OE stif f. Gmc]

stiff
stið

Stiff \Stiff\, a. [Compar. Stiffer; superl. Stiffest.] [OE. stif, AS. st[=i]f; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. st[=i]fr, Lith. stipti to be stiff; cf. L. stipes a post, trunk of a tree, stipare to press, compress. Cf. Costive, Stifle, Stipulate, Stive to stuff.] 1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints. [They] rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid a["e]rial sky. --Milton. 2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff. 3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze. 4. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary. It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument. --Jer. Taylor. A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause, Stiff to defend their hospitable laws. --Dryden. 5. Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style. The French are open, familiar, and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious, and reserved. --Addison. 6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.] ``This is stiff news.'' --Shak. 7. (Naut.) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank. --Totten. 8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price. [Slang] Stiff neck, a condition of the neck such that the head can not be moved without difficulty and pain. Syn: Rigid; inflexible; strong; hardly; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; harsh; formal; constrained; affected; starched; rigorous.

stiff a. 1. Rigid, unbending, unyielding, inflexible, stark, subrigid. 2. Firm, tenacious, thick, inspissated. 3. Stubborn, obstinate, pertinacious, tenacious, strong. 4. Rigorous, severe, strict, strait-laced, stringent, peremptory, absolute, positive, austere, dogmatic, uncompromising, inexorable. 5. Formal, constrained, ceremonious, punctilious, prim, starch, stately, chilling, frigid, in buckram. 6. Inelegant, cramped, harsh, crude, graceless, abrupt. 7. Strong, fresh.

stiff stɪf adj. 1 firm, rigid, inelastic, unbending, inflexible, hard, unbendable, tough, solid, solidified, stiffened, unyielding, brittle: The table napkins were so stiff with starch that I almost cracked one. 2 severe, harsh, punitive, hurtful, punishing, abusive, torturous, distressing, afflictive, painful, overwhelming, unbearable, tormenting, merciless, excruciating, cruel, drastic, US cruel and unusual: The government here has stiff penalties for drug traffickers. 3 strong, potent, powerful, overpowering, alcoholic: After that kind of an ordeal, you could use a stiff drink, I'm sure. 4 vigorous, energetic, staunch, dogged, tenacious, resolute, resolved, determined, stubborn, obstinate, unyielding, indomitable, relentless: They met with stiff opposition in trying to capture the fort. 5 strong, steady, powerful, fresh, brisk, spanking, gusty, forceful, howling: We had to reduce sail because of a stiff westerly wind. 6 excessive, exorbitant, high, steep, expensive, dear: They are asking a pretty stiff price these days for a bottle of good vintage port. 7 cool, haughty, rigid, wooden, stuffy, aloof, tense, intense, unrelaxed, forced, pompous, stilted, mannered, ceremonious, austere, formal, chilly, cold, unfriendly, standoffish, reserved, snobbish, Colloq snooty, Slang uptight: Vince is warm and friendly, but his wife is as stiff as a poker. 8 stilted, unrelaxed, wooden, forced, artificial, laboured, pedantic, turgid, formal, prim, Colloq stuffy: I have always found her writing to be rather stiff. 9 difficult, hard, steep, uphill, laborious, arduous, tiring, fatiguing, exhausting, harrowing, toilsome, rigorous, challenging, Colloq rough, tough: It is quite a stiff climb to the top of the pyramid of Cheops. That was a stiff homework assignment. 10 solid, semi-solid, firm, hard, thick, dense, compact: If you add a bit more water the next time, the jelly won't get quite so stiff. --n. 11 corpse, body, cadaver: Barry had to go down to the morgue to identify some stiff they hauled out of the river. 12 skinflint, miser, Colloq cheapskate, Slang piker, US and Canadian tightwad: A stiff is a customer who fails to leave a tip.

522 Moby Thesaurus words for "stiff": Arab, Bowery bum, Latinate, a bit much, abandoned, abusive, adamant, adamantine, afflictive, alcoholic, all thumbs, aloof, arduous, arid, artificial, ashes, austere, awkward, balker, balky horse, barren, beach bum, beachcomber, beggar, beggarly fellow, blah, blank, blighter, blind, blind drunk, bloodless, blotto, blue-collar worker, blunderheaded, blundering, bo, body, bold, bombastic, bones, boorish, boundless, breadwinner, brisk, brittle, buckram, budmash, bum, bumbling, bummer, bungling, butterfingered, cadaver, caitiff, carcass, careless, carrion, cartilaginous, cast-iron, casual, casual laborer, ceremonious, challenging, characterless, cheapskate, chewy, chilly, clay, clownish, clumsy, clumsy-fisted, cohesive, cold, colorless, common laborer, compact, cool, coriaceous, corpse, corpus delicti, costly, cramped, crock, crowbait, cruel, cumbersome, cumbrous, day laborer, dead, dead as mutton, dead body, dead man, dead person, dear, dear-bought, decedent, dense, derelict, determined, devil, difficult, dismal, distressing, dog, dogged, dogie, dour, draggy, drastic, drearisome, dreary, drifter, drunkard, dry, dry bones, dryasdust, dull, durable, dust, dusty, earth, effete, egregious, elephantine, embalmed corpse, employee, empty, energetic, enormous, etiolated, exaggerated, excessive, excruciating, exhausting, exorbitant, expensive, extravagant, extreme, fabulous, factory worker, fade, fancy, fatiguing, fibrous, fingers all thumbs, firm, fit for sea, flat, flinty, flunky, food for worms, forced, forceful, formal, free lance, free-lancer, fresh, full-time worker, fumbling, fundamentalist, gamin, gamine, garron, gauche, gawkish, gawky, gigantic, gluttonous, goat, gone to seed, good-for-naught, good-for-nothing, graceless, grim, gristly, guinde, gusty, guttersnipe, hack, had, halting, ham-fisted, ham-handed, hand, hard, hard-core, hardened, hardy, harrowing, harsh, haughty, heavy, heavy-handed, helpless, hidebound, high, high-priced, ho-hum, hobo, hollow, homeless waif, howling, hulking, hulky, human wreck, hurtful, hyperbolic, hypertrophied, idler, immoderate, immovable, immutable, implacable, impliable, in buckram, inane, incontinent, indomitable, industrial worker, inelastic, inelegant, inexcitable, inexorable, inflexible, inkhorn, inordinate, insipid, intemperate, intense, intransigent, iron, ironbound, ironclad, ironhanded, irreconcilable, jade, jejune, jobber, jobholder, jughead, labored, laborer, laboring man, laborious, landloper, lasting, late lamented, lazzarone, leaden, leatherlike, leathery, left-hand, left-handed, lifeless, loafer, losel, loutish, low-spirited, lowlife, lubberly, lumbering, lumpish, luxurious, maladroit, mannered, mauvais sujet, mean wretch, menial, merciless, migrant, miser, moiler, monstrous, mortal remains, mucker, mudlark, mummification, mummy, muscle-bound, nag, navvy, no-good, not affordable, oafish, obdurate, obstinate, of great cost, office temporary, on the downgrade, organic remains, orthodox, out, out cold, out of bounds, out of condition, out of shape, out of sight, out of training, outrageous, overbig, overcome, overdeveloped, overgreat, overgrown, overlarge, overmuch, overpowering, overweening, overwhelming, painful, pale, pallid, paralyzed, passed out, pauvre diable, pedantic, pedestrian, petrified, piker, pilgarlic, plodding, plug, pointless, pokerlike, poky, pompous, ponderous, poor creature, poor devil, potent, powerful, premium, pricey, prim, procrustean, proletarian, punishing, punitive, purist, puristic, puritan, puritanic, ragamuffin, ragman, ragpicker, ramrodlike, relentless, relics, reliquiae, remains, renitent, reserved, resistant, resolute, resolved, rich, rigid, rigorist, rigoristic, rigorous, roarer, rock-ribbed, rockbound, rodlike, rogue, ropy, rosinante, rough, rounder, roustabout, run to seed, rusty, sad case, sad sack, salaried worker, scalawag, sea-kindly, seaworthy, self-employed person, servant, sesquipedalian, severe, sinewy, skeleton, ski bum, skid-row bum, skinflint, slipping, sloppy, slow, snobbish, snooty, snug, soft, solemn, solid, solidified, spanking, spiritless, standoffish, starch, starched, starchy, stark, staunch, steady, steely, steep, sterile, stern, stiff as buckram, stiffened, stilted, stodgy, stone-cold, stone-dead, stoned, straightlaced, straitlaced, stray, street Arab, street urchin, stringy, strong, stubborn, stuffy, sumptuous, sundowner, superficial, surf bum, swagman, swagsman, tasteless, tatterdemalion, taut, tedious, temporary, tenacious, tender, tenement of clay, tennis bum, tense, the dead, the deceased, the defunct, the departed, the loved one, thick, tight, tightwad, tiring, toiler, toilsome, too much, top, tormenting, torturous, tough, tough as leather, tramp, truant, turgid, turnpiker, unaffected, unalterable, unbearable, unbending, unbridled, unchangeable, uncompromising, unconscionable, uncouth, under the table, undue, unflexible, unfriendly, ungainly, ungiving, ungraceful, unhandy, unlively, unmoved, unpayable, unreasonable, unrelaxed, unrelenting, unrestrained, untiring, unwieldy, unyielding, uphill, uptight, urchin, vag, vagabond, vagrant, vapid, vaurien, vigorous, virgate, viscid, wage earner, wage slave, wageworker, waif, waifs and strays, wastrel, waterproof, watertight, weatherly, whistler, wiry, wooden, worker, workgirl, workhand, working girl, workingman, workingwoman, workman, worthless fellow, wretch

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