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
Golden State’s schedule stiffens with an upcoming trip to New York and Indiana.
—
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
The rings arise because the metal softens as the can compresses, then stiffens, then compresses and stiffens again, repeating the pattern until the compression is complete—akin to something called homoclinic snaking.
—ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
Will these Knicks stick to the process when the competition stiffens in the second round?
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
The men’s Run 900 Ultra Black Shorts feature integrated Rheon technology, a reactive polymer that remains soft at rest but stiffens under pressure.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2026
The woman—Rose, apparently—stiffens slightly.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
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
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
Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
The rings arise because the metal softens as the can compresses, then stiffens, then compresses and stiffens again, repeating the pattern until the compression is complete—akin to something called homoclinic snaking.
—ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
Will these Knicks stick to the process when the competition stiffens in the second round?
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
The men’s Run 900 Ultra Black Shorts feature integrated Rheon technology, a reactive polymer that remains soft at rest but stiffens under pressure.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2026
The woman—Rose, apparently—stiffens slightly.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffens
strengthens
Verb
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The latest, published in Nature today, strengthens the case that LAP1-B is an early cosmic puzzle piece packed with material freshly manufactured by dying Population III stars.—
Lee Billings,
Scientific American,
13 May 2026
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Pacific Ocean projections for 2026 An array of model images, including these from the North American multi-modal ensemble model, project water in the Pacific Ocean will be much warmer than normal by summer, as an El Niño strengthens.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stiffens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffens. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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