—— stiffinformalhaving a specified unpleasant feeling to an extreme extent:
→ headwordstiffadjective
1not easily bent; rigid.
not moving freely; difficult to turn or operate.
unable to move easily and without pain.
2not relaxed or friendly; constrained.
3severe or strong:they face stiff fines.
(of a wind) blowing strongly.
(of an alcoholic drink) strong.
4(stiff with)informalfull of.
5(—— stiff)informalhaving a specified unpleasant feeling to an extreme extent:scared stiff.
nouninformal
1a dead body.
2chiefly N. Amer.a boring, conventional person.
verbinformal
1N. Amer.cheat (someone).
fail to leave (someone) a tip.
2N. Amer.ignore deliberately; snub.
3kill (someone).
Phrases
a stiff upper lipa quality of uncomplaining stoicism.
Derivatives
stiffishadjective
stifflyadverb
stiffnessnoun
Origin
OEstīf, of Gmc origin.
Thesaurusstiffadjective
1stiff cardboard: RIGID, hard, firm, inelastic, inflexible.
2a stiff paste: SEMI-SOLID, viscous, viscid, thick, stiffened, firm.
3I'm stiff all over: ACHING, achy, painful; arthritic, rheumatic;informalcreaky, rheumaticky, rusty.
4a rather stiff manner: FORMAL, reserved, unfriendly, chilly, cold, frigid, icy, austere, wooden, forced, strained, stilted;informalstarchy, uptight, stand-offish.
5a stiff fine: HARSH, severe, heavy, crippling, punishing, stringent, drastic, draconian;Brit.swingeing.
6stiff resistance: VIGOROUS, determined, full of determination, strong, spirited, resolute, tenacious, steely, four-square, unflagging, unyielding, dogged, stubborn, obdurate;N. Amer.rock-ribbed.
7a stiff climb: DIFFICULT, hard, arduous, tough, strenuous, laborious, uphill, exacting, tiring, demanding, formidable, challenging, punishing, gruelling;informalkilling, hellish;Brit. informalknackering.
8a stiff breeze: STRONG, fresh, brisk.
9a stiff drink: STRONG, potent, alcoholic.
Oppositesflexible, plastic, limp, runny, supple, limber, relaxed, informal, lenient, mild, half-hearted, easy, gentle, weak.