firm

1 not showing weakness or uncertainty a friendly fellow with a ready smile and a firm handshake Synonyms forceful, hearty, iron, lusty, robust, solid, stout, strong, sturdy, vigorous Related Words hard, ironclad, mighty, powerful, tough, unyielding; animated, brisk, energetic, frisky, jaunty, jazzy, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy; assured, certain, confident, sanguine, secure, sure Near Antonyms feeble, fragile, frail; limp, listless, spiritless; diffident, insecure, self-doubting; characterless, effete, frail, spineless, weakened, weak-kneed, wimpy, wishy-washy Antonyms uncertain, weak

2 having a consistency that does not easily yield to pressure cold butter that was too firm to spread 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

3 firmly positioned in place and difficult to dislodge was firm in the saddle during the canter Synonyms fast, tight, frozen, jammed, lodged, set, snug, stuck, wedgedRelated Words bonded, cemented, glued; anchored, clamped; embedded (also imbedded), entrenched (also intrenched), impacted, implanted; attached, bound, fastened, secured; immovable, unyieldingNear Antonyms detached, dislodged, freed, loosened, unattached, unbound, undone, unfastened, unsecured; movable (or moveable), yieldingAntonyms insecure, loose

4 fully committed to achieving a goal asked him to reconsider, but he was firm in his commitment to the project Synonyms bent (on or upon), bound, decisive, do-or-die, determined, hell-bent (on or upon), intent, out, purposeful, resolute, resolved, set, single-mindedRelated Words bitter, vehement; certain, cocksure, confident, positive, sure; earnest, serious; steady, unfaltering, unhesitating, unswerving, unwavering; adamant, adamantine, dogged, hard, hardened, hardheaded, headstrong, immovable, implacable, inflexible, mulish, obdurate, persistent, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, rigid, self-willed, stubborn, tenacious, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful (or wilful)Near Antonyms distrustful, doubtful, dubious, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious, uncertain, unconvinced, undecided, unsettled, unsure; disinclined, indisposed, loath (also loth or loathe), reluctantAntonyms faltering, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, undetermined, unresolved, vacillating, wavering, weak-kneed

5 having been established and usually not subject to change the selling price of the house is firm, so there'll be no dickering Synonyms certain, determinate, final, fixed, flat, frozen, hard, hard-and-fast, inexpugnable, set, settled, stableRelated Words nonadjustable, noncancelable, nonnegotiable, unchangeable; constant, steady, unchanging, uniform, unwavering; definite, exact, explicit, specific; given, stated, stipulated; dependable, good, reliable, responsible, safe, solid, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trustyNear Antonyms adjustable, changeable, negotiable; indefinite, open-ended, unspecified; capricious, changeful, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconstant, mercurial, mutable, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, volatile

6 marked by the ability to withstand stress without structural damage or distortion built on a firm foundation, so the house hasn't settled Synonyms bombproof, fast, stable, sound, stalwart, strong, sturdyRelated Words dependable, durable, reliable; infrangible, irrefragable, unbreakable; beefy, solid; cohesive, toughNear Antonyms infirm, insecure, weak; shaky, tottering, tottery, unbalanced, wobbly (also wabbly); unsubstantialAntonyms rickety, unsound, unstable, unsteady

7 based on sound reasoning or information that assassination theory is far from firm, since there's not a shred of actual evidence to back it up Synonyms commonsense, commonsensible, commonsensical, good, hard, informed, just, justified, levelheaded, logical, rational, reasonable, reasoned, sensible, sober, solid, valid, well-foundedRelated Words actual, real, true; certain, sure; certified, validated, verified; confirmed, corroborated, substantiated; cogent, convincing; colorable, credible, plausibleNear Antonyms unsubstantiated, unsupported, unwarranted; flimsy, implausible, unconvincing, weak; fallacious, false, misguided, misledAntonyms groundless, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, nonsensical, nonvalid, unfounded, uninformed, unjustified, unreasonable, unreasoned, unsound