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
For a more visceral feel, 'Sport' increases the throttle response, stiffens the suspension, and opens the exhaust valves.
—
New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2025
That could be his saving grace as the competition stiffens.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Pindar said the fascia can stiffen under stress or illness, reducing circulation and making waste removal more difficult.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Apr. 2025
The Energy Department typically stiffens a requirement only after years of study, comment, negotiation and testing (and sometimes litigation) among industry, consumer and environmental groups.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stiffen
New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2025
That could be his saving grace as the competition stiffens.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Pindar said the fascia can stiffen under stress or illness, reducing circulation and making waste removal more difficult.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Apr. 2025
The Energy Department typically stiffens a requirement only after years of study, comment, negotiation and testing (and sometimes litigation) among industry, consumer and environmental groups.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stiffen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffen
strengthen
Verb
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The Coursera report found that 96% of employers agree that micro-credentials strengthen a candidate's job application, and 85% are more likely to hire a candidate with a micro-credential than one without.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
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Which areas are Spurs likely to want to strengthen this summer?—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiffen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffen. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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