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

Forget the stiff, polished high-fashion boutiques — Mima feels like stepping into the eclectic world of your coolest, most unpredictable friend. —WWD, 11 Dec. 2024

And the deal ran into stiff opposition from a coalition of unions, small grocery stores and political leaders from both parties wary of corporate consolidation. —Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024

Adverb

For many of us, our first exposure to death involved an animal: the firefly in the Mason jar, the bird beneath the window, the deer beside the highway, the beloved cat gone gaunt with age, curled up stiff below the basement stairs. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

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

Noun

Cookie returned to his post at the bar, where seven or eight working stiffs were lined up, and the two women stood in front of that big, wide window in broad daylight and began passionately kissing. —Al Pacino, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024

Yes, the central gimmick of this movie (which is clever) hinges on how the agents and assassins who do the real work are the working-class stiffs who aren't plucked from the Ivy League. —Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2024

Verb

The dialogue was ham-handed, the performances stiff, the villain lame, the story stupid. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 July 2024

The 100 percent carbon shaft of the Storm 2 is strong enough to withstand freakish plants that would normally end in snapping, light enough (at 75 grams per meter) to prevent fatigue after repetitive motion, and stiff enough to propel us forward. —Stephanie Pearson, Outside Online, 10 Oct. 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