stiffened 1 of 2

adjective

as in stiff
incapable of or highly resistant to bending stiffened corpses an old-fashioned dress with a stiffened lace collar

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stiffened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of stiffen
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

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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
Verb
Dogs that have stiffened up with age get an advanced joint-support chew with glucosamine, MSM, and collagen. — Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 17 July 2026 Graham's aorta, at 71, tore, a dissection along a wall stiffened by decades of what the medical examiner called arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. — Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 13 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffened
  1. stiff
  2. strengthened
  3. rigid
  4. solid
Adjective
  • No one really wants to keep wearing their stiff, uncomfortable boots after arriving back at camp following a long, challenging day on the trail.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
  • Traditional volume and texture sprays are notorious for leaving hair feeling like dry, stiff straw.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Definition of stiff
Verb
  • Over six weeks of World Cup play, boisterous watch parties strengthened that claim, helping draw more than 900,000 visits downtown.
    — Ryan Macasero, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
  • But there remains a nagging doubt, only strengthened by his absence from training on Thursday.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of strengthened
Adjective
  • But why not just use standard, rigid-bodied, propellor-lift VTOL drones?
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 July 2026
  • Using rigid materials, like metals, makes for a stable biomonitor, but it is easily dislodged when the wearer moves too much, such as during exercise.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026
Definition of rigid
Adjective
  • Favorable rainfall trends across major producing nations, including Spain, have paved the way for a solid global yield for the upcoming harvest, Valdés said, consolidating a more robust and balanced global supply.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • To solve this degradation problem, the research team focused on a specific sulfide solid electrolyte known as lithium phosphorus sulfur chloride (LPSCl).
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
Definition of solid

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Cite this Entry

“Stiffened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffened. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on stiffened

Nglish: Translation of stiffened for Spanish Speakers

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