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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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
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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stiffened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffened. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on stiffened

Nglish: Translation of stiffened for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All