stiff
stiff is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 7 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff.
- 2.Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.
- 3.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.
- 4.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.
- 5.Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.] "This is stiff news." Shak.
- 6.(Naut.) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank. Totten.
- 7.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.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Synonyms (Webster's 1913)
- affected
- constrained
- formal
- hardly
- harsh
- inflexible
- obstinate
- pertinacious
- rigid
- rigorous
- starched
- strong
- stubborn
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- abrupt
- adamant
- adamantean
- adamantine
- affectation
- affected
- applicant
- artificial
- aspirant
- awkward
- bagman
- barbarism
- barbarous
- beggar
- bidder
- block
- board
- bone
- bony
- break
- brick
- buckram
- bum
- cacophony
- cadger
- calculous
- callosity
- candidate
- canvasser
- cartilage
- cartilaginous
- case
- cast
- cement
- child
- claimant
- client
- competitor
- concrete
- core
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is stiff.
- What is not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff called?
- What is firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze called?
- What is 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 called?
- What is harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.] "This is stiff news." Shak called?
- What is bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank. Totten called?
- What is 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 called?
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms & antonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/stiff
- Steward: Jason Burns