stiff

stiff

adjective

Definition of STIFF

1

incapable of or highly resistant to bending <use a stiff piece of paper for the project>

Synonyms inflexible, rigid, stiffened, unyielding

Related Words inelastic; firm, hard, solid, sound, strong; brittle, crisp; compact, dense, substantial; arthritic, rheumatic; nonelastic, nonmalleable

Near Antonyms elastic, resilient, springy, stretchy, workable; malleable, plastic; semiflexible; droopy, flabby, flaccid, mushy, semisoft, soft, squashy, squishy; lank, limber, limp, lissome (also lissom), lithe, lithesome, willowy

Antonyms flexible, floppy, pliable, pliant, supple, yielding

2

difficult to endure <stiff winds>

Synonyms bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, trying

Related Words austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable; biting, inclement, intemperate, wild; rigorous, strict, stringent; agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched; crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing; insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable; harrowing, tortuous; bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant

Near Antonyms comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug; agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant; peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful; bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable; balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate

Antonyms easy, light, soft

3

going beyond a normal or acceptable limit in degree or amount <don't you think that's a pretty stiff fine for such a minor infraction?>

Synonyms baroque, devilish, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fancy, immoderate, inordinate, insane, intolerable, lavish, overdue, overextravagant, overmuch, overweening, plethoric, steep, stiff, towering, unconscionable, undue, unmerciful

Related Words boundless, endless, immeasurable, infinite, limitless; unbearable, unjustifiable, unwarranted; improper, inappropriate, thick, unseemly; unrestrained

Near Antonyms deficient, inadequate, insufficient; minimal, minimum

Antonyms middling, moderate, modest, reasonable, temperate

4

having a consistency that does not easily yield to pressure <stir two cups of flour with the remaining ingredients to make a stiff dough>

Synonyms compact, hard, rigid, solid, stiff, unyielding

Related Words case-hardened, compacted, compressed, hardened, indurated, stiffened, tempered; close, dense, heavy, thick, thickset; inelastic, inflexible, ramrod, unbending; compressed, condensed; adamantine, rocklike; sturdy, substantial; impenetrable, impermeable, nonporous

Near Antonyms loose, scattered, thin; bendable, elastic, flexible, malleable, pliable, pliant, supple; droopy, flaccid, floppy, lank, limp, slack; airy, light; permeable, porous; ultrasoft

Antonyms flabby, soft, spongy, squashy, squishy

5

lacking social grace and assurance <felt stiff and ill-at-ease whenever she was introduced to her father's friends>

Synonyms clumsy, gauche, graceless, inelegant, rough-hewn, rustic (also rustical), stiff, stilted, uncomfortable, uneasy, ungraceful, wooden

Related Words angular, gawky, lubberly, ungainly; boorish, clownish, uncouth; abashed, discomfited, discomforted, discomposed, disconcerted, discountenanced, embarrassed; self-conscious; agitated, bothered, chagrined, dismayed, disquieted, distressed, disturbed, fazed, flustered, jittery, jumpy, mortified, nervous, nonplussed (also nonplused), perturbed, rattled, unhinged, unsettled, upset; diffident, insecure, meek, modest, self-doubting, timid, unassertive, unassuming, unpretentious

Near Antonyms assured, calm, collected, composed, confident, cool, placid, poised, secure, self-assured, self-confident, self-possessed, serene, tranquil, undisturbed, unperturbed

Antonyms graceful, suave, urbane

6

requiring considerable physical or mental effort <we'll have a stiff climb to actually reach the summit>

Synonyms arduous, Augean, backbreaking, challenging, demanding, difficult, effortful, exacting, formidable, grueling (or gruelling), heavy, hellacious, herculean, killer, laborious, moiling, murderous, pick-and-shovel, rigorous, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, strenuous, sweaty, tall, testing, toilsome, tough, uphill

Related Words abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, elusive, hairy, insoluble, intricate, involved, knotty, opaque, problematic (also problematical), recondite, serious, spiny, stubborn, thorny, ticklish, tricky; bruising, burdensome, exhausting, labored, onerous, oppressive, stressful, taxing, tight, trying; annoying, bothersome, distressing, irksome, troublesome, vexatious; grievous, grim, strict, stringent; brutal, cruel, inhuman, painful

Near Antonyms achievable, clear, doable, elementary, manageable, uncomplicated; comforting, gentle, painless, relaxed, smooth, soothing; accessible, friendly, idiotproof, user-friendly

Antonyms cheap, easy, effortless, facile, light, mindless, simple, soft, undemanding

7

marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details <the stiff politeness with which I was greeted suggested that they weren't truly happy to see me>

Synonyms correct, decorous, formal, nice, proper, punctilious, starchy, stiff, stiff-necked, stilted

Related Words sober, solemn, stately; chivalrous, courtly, gallant; genteel, polished, refined; civil, courteous, polite, red-carpet

Near Antonyms improper, indecorous, unmannerly; discourteous, impolite, rude

Antonyms casual, easygoing, informal, laid-back, unceremonious

8

being under the influence of alcohol <seeing that the customer was more than a little stiff, the bartender offered to call a cab for him>

Synonyms besotted, blasted [slang], blind, blitzed [slang], blotto [slang], bombed, boozy, canned [slang], cockeyed, crocked, drunken, fried, gassed, hammered [slang], high, impaired, inebriate, inebriated, intoxicated, juiced [slang], lit, lit up, loaded [slang], looped, oiled [slang], pickled, pie-eyed, plastered, potted [slang], ripped [slang], sloshed [slang], smashed [slang], sottish, soused, sozzled, squiffed (or squiffy), stewed, stiff, stinking [slang], stoned, tanked [slang], tiddly [chiefly British], tight, tipsy, wasted [slang], wet, wiped out [slang]

Related Words maudlin; beery; befuddled, bleary-eyed, crapulous, dopey (also dopy), rocky, strung out, stupefied; debauched, dissipated, dissolute; alcoholic, bibulous, dipsomaniacal

Near Antonyms abstemious, abstinent, dry, temperate, teetotal; clearheaded, cool, level, steady

Antonyms sober, straight