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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of stiffens
Moving the kink to one end makes that side soft and the opposite end stiff; placing it at the center softens the middle and stiffens both edges.
—
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026
What began as breathlessness hardened into silicosis, an irreversible disease that stiffens the lungs until even ordinary movement becomes effort.
—Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The luxury retailer, weighed down by debt, is under pressure as consumers shift their shopping habits and competition stiffens.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
The schedule stiffens over the final four with Green Bay and Jacksonville at home, a Christmas night game at Kansas City and then Week 18 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025
The light stiffens and grabs hold of us.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
High-Cholesterol Foods Foods high in cholesterol can negatively affect blood pressure, contributing to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup that narrows and stiffens the arteries).
—Lindsey Desoto, Health, 28 Oct. 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
Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026
What began as breathlessness hardened into silicosis, an irreversible disease that stiffens the lungs until even ordinary movement becomes effort.
—Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
The luxury retailer, weighed down by debt, is under pressure as consumers shift their shopping habits and competition stiffens.
—Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 29 Jan. 2026
The schedule stiffens over the final four with Green Bay and Jacksonville at home, a Christmas night game at Kansas City and then Week 18 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025
The light stiffens and grabs hold of us.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
High-Cholesterol Foods Foods high in cholesterol can negatively affect blood pressure, contributing to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup that narrows and stiffens the arteries).
—Lindsey Desoto, Health, 28 Oct. 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
-
Security strengthens as finance-conscious Venus conjoins fertile Chiron in your 2nd House of Logistics, bolstering your capacity to be practical without losing that characteristic Pisces whimsy.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Tschacher and colleagues showed in 2024 that music can align listeners’ physiological responses and attention patterns—and that even when people aren’t feeling exactly the same emotion, the synchronicity of their reactions alone strengthens the sense of shared experience.—
Yook JiHun,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stiffens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffens. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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