stiffened 1 of 2

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
Adjective
  • How to Restore Absorbency to Towels To restore absorbency to stiff towels, Sokolowski recommends performing a deep clean.
    Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 30 June 2026
  • Vigorously whisk remaining 1 cup of cream with powdered sugar in a large bowl until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.
    Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 30 June 2026
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.
    Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • The good news is that resilience can be strengthened long before a crisis occurs.
    Brian Henriquez, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026
Adjective
  • Instead of forcing business owners to constantly upload mountains of paper invoices or rigid bank statements, Magellan monitors the real-time transactions flowing directly through its platform.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 30 June 2026
  • The trust could provide financial support for a broad group of beneficiaries defined by you, rather than by rigid family-tree relationships.
    Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 30 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

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Cite this Entry

“Stiffened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffened. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

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