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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
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
  1. stiff
  2. strengthened
  3. rigid
  4. solid
Adjective
  • The text and the pictures are all hilariously stiff, as if the animals did not agree to appear in the book.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026
  • After the cabin lights dim, sleep comes in fragments, and a travel pillow does little to ease a stiff neck.
    — Rio Yamat, Fortune, 7 July 2026
Definition of stiff
Verb
  • Away from social media, the roommates have settled into simple traditions that have only strengthened their friendship.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
  • Flag football’s prolific growth has strengthened the sport at every amateur level from peewees to the Olympics and led to the NFL’s $32 million commitment for men’s and women’s professional flag leagues to debut next year.
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of strengthened
Adjective
  • What this recent research on podcast discovery by Sounds Profitable / JAR Research punctuates is that the avenues of finding new podcasts aren’t formalized and rigid, but dependent on age, income, background, and lifestyle.
    — Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Sometimes the eyes are the only thing that changes between spreads, a technique that is especially effective when the characters are rigid reptiles with a limited range of motion.
    — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 7 July 2026
Definition of rigid
Adjective
  • This upgrade package also includes the more powerful P160C solid-fuel boosters introduced in June and a lighter upper stage structure.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
  • As business brokers tell it, the type of companies that millennials are now eagerly snapping up are smaller firms with recurring revenue, a solid customer base, expertise in a niche market, and books that are in order.
    — Maggie McGrath, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of solid

Browse Nearby Words

stiffen
stiffened
stiffening
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Cite this Entry

“Stiffened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffened. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on stiffened

Nglish: Translation of stiffened for Spanish Speakers

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