as in stiff
incapable of or highly resistant to bending
stiffened corpses an old-fashioned dress with a stiffened lace collar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in strengthened
to make more harsh, uncompromising, or severe
plans to further stiffen the already onerous requirements for admission to the elite military unit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stiffened
ABC News,
24 June 2026
Nicks on the edge or stiffened, curled rubber will leave streaks.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
The moose flinched and stiffened.
—
Fred Bear,
Outdoor Life,
11 June 2026
Reintroduce moisture, apply heat to convert that water to steam, and those stiffened starch molecules soften again.
—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
3 June 2026
His eyes locked to the right, his tiny body stiffened and his face turned red.
—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
There was a sudden spring shower, which stiffened into rain.
—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
The journey of King Charles and the Queen consort had been planned for some time, well before relations between the United Kingdom and the United States stiffened due to international tensions, compounded by the assassination attempt on Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
—
Giorgia Olivieri,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
June stiffened, a pillar of ice.
—
Meredith Maran,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
Pulisic played a dynamic first half in the Americans' historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago, but the AC Milan midfielder came off at halftime after an injury from training stiffened up.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
Nicks on the edge or stiffened, curled rubber will leave streaks.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
The moose flinched and stiffened.
—
Fred Bear,
Outdoor Life,
11 June 2026
Reintroduce moisture, apply heat to convert that water to steam, and those stiffened starch molecules soften again.
—
Anne Wolf,
Martha Stewart,
3 June 2026
His eyes locked to the right, his tiny body stiffened and his face turned red.
—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
There was a sudden spring shower, which stiffened into rain.
—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
The journey of King Charles and the Queen consort had been planned for some time, well before relations between the United Kingdom and the United States stiffened due to international tensions, compounded by the assassination attempt on Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
—
Giorgia Olivieri,
Vanity Fair,
28 Apr. 2026
June stiffened, a pillar of ice.
—
Meredith Maran,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffened
Adjective
-
In the laundry room, its acidity breaks down sweat, fabric softener, detergent, and other residue that gets trapped in your sheets, leaving them feeling stiff.
-
Tailored pants are notoriously stiff, but this pair manages to look sharp while feeling like loungewear, according to shoppers.
Verb
-
In recent days, after Museveni was sworn in for a seventh consecutive term, Kainerugaba has strengthened his grip with a series of directives and orders usually reserved for the head of state.
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The good news is that resilience can be strengthened long before a crisis occurs.
Adjective
-
As the disease progresses, muscles throughout the body can become rigid and go into painful spasms.
-
That’s the deficiency side of integrity—where authenticity gives way to fakery, consistency erodes into unpredictability, and transparency slips into manipulation…But swing too far in the other direction, and the skyscraper becomes overly rigid—too stiff to sway with the wind.
Adjective
-
Affordable July 4 destinations July 4 may be a peak travel period, but travelers can still snag some solid deals for a beach vacation.
-
Plenty of the group stage games have gone 0-0 before players returned to the locker room, but at least solid chances have been created.
Cite this Entry
“Stiffened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffened. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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