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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stiffened
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 12 June 2026
The moose flinched and stiffened.
—Fred Bear, Outdoor Life, 11 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
Officials this year have increased restrictions on flying drones and stiffened the penalties for their unauthorized use—including jail time.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
The nail seemed to have expanded and warped and stiffened.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
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
Officials this year have increased restrictions on flying drones and stiffened the penalties for their unauthorized use—including jail time.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
The nail seemed to have expanded and warped and stiffened.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffened
Adjective
-
Will Smith to get injection for neck Catcher Will Smith (stiff neck) will get an injection to address his neck injury, manager Dave Roberts said.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
In his review, our expert Andrew Gebhart said the Dyson Vis Nav’s stiff nylon bristles digs deep into carpets or hard surfaces alike, sucking up any mess.—
Carlos Mejia,
PC Magazine,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
That’s because a relationship isn’t strengthened by self-erasure.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Italy’s triumph over Czechoslovakia in the 1934 final which strengthened the regime of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, for example.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
Adjective
-
As the disease progresses, muscles throughout the body can become rigid and go into painful spasms.—
Faye Chiu,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
-
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.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
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.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
-
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.—
Monica Alba,
NBC news,
24 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stiffened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffened. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
