as in to strengthen
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
plans to further stiffen the already onerous requirements for admission to the elite military unit
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Recent Examples of stiffen
Spritzing the end of the thread with hairspray will stiffen it just enough to be able to be threaded more easily, but keeps enough flexibility to be used.
—
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2024
The lighting feels unnatural, the shading overwhelms, the movement stiffens, and the joy of play disappears in a homogenizing portrayal of a child running with their back turned to us.
—Gerui Wang, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
But unfortunately for Northwestern, that’s where the Duke defense stiffened.
—Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2024
In Electric mode, at the halfway point of throttle pedal travel the action stiffens.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stiffen 
Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2024
The lighting feels unnatural, the shading overwhelms, the movement stiffens, and the joy of play disappears in a homogenizing portrayal of a child running with their back turned to us.
—Gerui Wang, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024
But unfortunately for Northwestern, that’s where the Duke defense stiffened.
—Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 7 Sep. 2024
In Electric mode, at the halfway point of throttle pedal travel the action stiffens.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stiffen
Thesaurus Entries Near stiffen
Cite this Entry
“Stiffen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffen. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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