as in strengthens
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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Recent Examples of stiffens
But the schedule stiffens up next week with the start of 4A South Metro League play as Heritage, Ponderosa and Dakota Ridge all loom in October.
—
Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
In a similar way, a man who is defiant stiffens his neck, squares his shoulders, lowers his brows, and clenches his fists with his knuckles forward.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
In a similar way, a man who is defiant stiffens his neck, squares his shoulders, lowers his brows, and clenches his fists with his knuckles forward.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffens
strengthens
Verb
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That extra mental effort strengthens the connection between your brain and muscles, helping improve balance and reaction time.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
26 Oct. 2025
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Officials at the National Satellite Ocean Application Service (NSOAS) said the satellite strengthens China’s role in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, with plans to share data for international research collaborations.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiffens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffens. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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