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
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Recent Examples of stiffened
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Only on particularly bumpy tarmac did the GTS-spec suspension become too jarring with the adaptive dampers stiffened up in sport mode, but switching them to normal offered the best of both worlds—excellent, composed body control and tuning that ironed out imperfections remarkably well.
—Peter Nelson, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
Then Philly’s defensive line stiffened, forcing Baker Mayfield into a costly interception near the goal line.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
The heart muscle may have thickened slightly, and arteries have likely stiffened, which can raise blood pressure.
—Lauryn Higgins, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Despite herself, Cali stiffened.
—Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
Lane picked up three on first down, but the Otay Ranch defense stiffened, turning back the next two runs for no gain.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
In addition to adjustable dampers, the Lyriq-V boasts a lowered suspension with components stiffened 10% to 600% from the base Lyriq, which was already a sporty and responsive SUV.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
McDaniel made the point that the Dolphins’ defensive line and run defense stiffened somewhat after struggling badly on the first drive.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
Only on particularly bumpy tarmac did the GTS-spec suspension become too jarring with the adaptive dampers stiffened up in sport mode, but switching them to normal offered the best of both worlds—excellent, composed body control and tuning that ironed out imperfections remarkably well.
—Peter Nelson, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
Then Philly’s defensive line stiffened, forcing Baker Mayfield into a costly interception near the goal line.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
The heart muscle may have thickened slightly, and arteries have likely stiffened, which can raise blood pressure.
—Lauryn Higgins, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Despite herself, Cali stiffened.
—Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
Lane picked up three on first down, but the Otay Ranch defense stiffened, turning back the next two runs for no gain.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
In addition to adjustable dampers, the Lyriq-V boasts a lowered suspension with components stiffened 10% to 600% from the base Lyriq, which was already a sporty and responsive SUV.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffened
Adjective
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Symptoms can be severe and include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, sometimes following gastrointestinal symptoms.—
News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
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Beat heavy cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Consumer spending has continued to prove resilient, and business investment, far from retreating, has strengthened in sectors tied to artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure, and manufacturing reshoring.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Abuja published guidance on how the private sector should work with government agencies to tackle financial crimes, and Pretoria has strengthened legislation on the disclosure of beneficial ownership for companies and trusts.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Demonstrate inclusion and psychological safety by ensuring that returning to the office does not feel like a rigid, one-size-fits-all policy.—
Peter Cappelli,
Big Think,
30 Sep. 2025
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Hough thought his performance was stiff and rigid, though, and lacked fluidity.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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SanDisk — The maker of solid state drives jumped 10%, adding to its massive gains.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
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Chris Copeland, Justin Copeland) Student Shorts With solid storytelling and emerging vision, these films represent a broad range of categories including live-action, narrative, documentary, and animation.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiffened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffened. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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