stiff

1 of 4

adjective

ˈstif 

1

a

: not easily bent : rigid

a stiff collar

b

: lacking in suppleness or flexibility

stiff muscles

c

: impeded in movement

—used of a mechanism

a truck's stiff suspension

d

: drunk sense 1a

2

a

: firm, resolute

b

: stubborn, unyielding

c

: proud

d(1)

: marked by reserve or decorum

(2)

: lacking in ease or grace : stilted

3

: hard fought

stiff competition

4

a(1)

: exerting great force

a stiff wind

(2)

: forceful, vigorous

b

: potent

poured her a stiff drink

5

: of a dense or glutinous consistency : thick

6

a

: harsh, severe

a stiff penalty

b

: arduous, rugged

stiff terrain

7

: not easily heeled over by an external force (such as the wind)

a stiff ship

8

: expensive, steep

paid a stiff price

stiffish

ˈsti-fish 

adjective

stiffly adverb

stiffness noun

stiff

2 of 4

adverb

1

: in a stiff manner : stiffly

2

: to an extreme degree : severely

scared stiff

bored stiff

3

: close enough to the hole for an easy putt in golf

hit it stiff and tapped it in for an easy birdie

stiff

3 of 4

noun

1

: corpse

2

a

: vagrant, tramp

b

: a member of the working class

especially : a blue-collar worker

c

: person

a lucky stiff

especially : a stodgy or excessively decorous person

3

: flop, failure

stiff

4 of 4

verb

stiffed; stiffing; stiffs

transitive verb

1

a

: to refuse to pay or tip

stiffed the waiter

b

: cheat

stiffed him in a business deal

c

: stick sense 7a

stiffed us with the bar bill

2

: snub sense 3

stiffed sportswriters after the game

intransitive verb

: to fail commercially

the movie stiffed at the box office

Synonyms

Adjective

• inflexible
• rigid
• stiffened
• unyielding

Noun

• bones
• cadaver
• carcass
• corpse
• corpus
• corse [archaic]
• relics
• remains

Verb

• cold-shoulder
• cut
• high-hat
• slight
• snub
• stiff-arm

Choose the Right Synonym for stiff

stiff, rigid, inflexible mean difficult to bend.

stiff may apply to any degree of this condition.

stretching keeps your muscles from becoming stiff

rigid applies to something so stiff that it cannot be bent without breaking.

a rigid surfboard

inflexible stresses lack of suppleness or pliability.

ski boots with inflexible soles

Examples of stiff in a Sentence

Adjective

When I got out of bed this morning my back was stiff as a board.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff.

Noun

That poor stiff never gets a break.

They have the kind of luxuries the average working stiff can't afford.

Verb

the actress has a reputation for stiffing the press at red-carpet events

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That game, shown in primetime, held its own against stiff playoff competition from the NBA and NHL. —Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 18 June 2024

The company is facing stiffer competition, and though its main models have sold extremely well, demand for them seems to be sagging. —Jack Ewing, New York Times, 13 June 2024

Adverb

The 45,000-piece collection of stiff-looking Trumps in a variety of poses and costumes—like the one shown above—have seen a 445% increase in sales, about $186,000, over the past 24 hours, according to CryptoSlam. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Crypto, 31 Mar. 2023

The Amityville demon jumps from the single mom into (stock footage of) a bear, a stiff-looking CGI shark, and the internet, always jumping back to its host. —Josh Bell, Vulture, 19 July 2022

Noun

Popular on Variety These additions — and moments in which ordinary working stiffs are given opportunities to take stage — deepen the critique of the hedonism and cult of celebrity that followed World War I and, it’s suggested, continue to plague us today. —Bob Verini, Variety, 14 June 2024

Being a working stiff can be anathema to those with the founder gene, who find the uncertainty of entrepreneurship equal parts freeing and exhilarating. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 12 May 2024

Verb

And on Detroit's battered roadways, the suspension runs the full gamut from smooth to stiff, depending on speed and driving style. —Michael Teo Van Runkle, Ars Technica, 30 May 2024

And depending on Anunoby, who is also in line for a steep raise after helping turn the Knicks into a dominant defensive team following the Dec. 30 trade from the Toronto Raptors, re-signing Hartenstein and keeping the roster intact as is could subject the Knicks to stiff luxury tax bill payments. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 3 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English stif, from Old English stīf; akin to Middle Dutch stijf stiff, Latin stipare to press together, Greek steibein to tread on

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1950, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing stiff

• as stiff as a board
• bindle stiff
• frozen stiff
• lucky stiff
• scared stiff
• stiff-arm
• stiff drink
• stiff-necked
• stiff upper lip

Kids Definition

stiff

1 of 3 adjective

ˈstif 

1

a

: not easily bent : rigid

b

: not easily moved

stiff muscles

stiff valves

2

a

: marked by moral courage

b

: not easy or graceful in manner

3

: hard fought

a stiff fight

4

a

: exerting great force : strong

a stiff wind

b

: potent sense 2b

a stiff dose

5

: not flowing easily : thick

beat egg whites until stiff

6

a

: harsh sense 3, severe

a stiff penalty

b

: rugged

stiff terrain

7

: expensive sense 2, steep

a stiff price

stiffly adverb

stiffness noun

stiff

2 of 3 adverb

1

: in a stiff manner

2

: to a stiff state or condition

frozen stiff

3

: to an extreme degree

bored stiff

stiff

3 of 3 noun

1

: corpse

2

: person

you lucky stiff

Medical Definition

stiff

adjective

ˈstif 

: lacking in suppleness

stiff muscles

stiffness noun