STIFFLY Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

stiffly

adverb

Definition of stiffly

as in harshly

in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering stiffly criticized for making such indiscreet comments in public

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in strongly

in a vigorous and forceful manner a stiffly fought battle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiffly

Adverb

Yet others — particularly those who identify as Jews through ethnic, cultural or family ties, rather than religion — feel less connected to Israel and judge its actions in the ongoing conflict more harshly.

— David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The Street graded Meta’s capital expenditure intentions more harshly relative to its hyperscaler peers ( Amazon , Microsoft , and Alphabet ), as monetization of that spend would depend almost entirely on internal demand for compute.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 8 July 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

Even with global unemployment at historically low levels, fewer than one in four workers strongly believe their job is safe from being eliminated, according to ADP Research.

— Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
The difference between these two measurements gives the exciton binding energy, a key quantity that determines how strongly the electron and hole remain bound together.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

Definition of strongly

Adverb

But the dramatic cut in drug production was also due in part to farmers being given alternative crops to the cultivation of opium poppies, De Croo said, noting that funding for such programs had been severely curtailed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
However, local journalism's ability to cover these profound changes is severely declining, with a 75% drop in local reporting since the early 2000s.

— Shalin Jyotishi, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

The oppressively hot and steamy weather was no deterrent for the crowds that lined up along Crandon Boulevard on Saturday to celebrate America’s independence at Key Biscayne’s 67th Fourth of July parade.

— Pedro Portal, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
Fortunately, this spell of hot temps will be a generally drier heat — not necessarily oppressively humid like is typical for New England.

— Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026

Definition of oppressively

Adverb

The International Rescue Committee estimates that there are 118 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced this year alone.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Meanwhile, videos also circulate of men on Russian streets being forcibly press-ganged into the army.

— Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Definition of forcibly

Adverb

His Hammness does show up, tongue planted firmly in his photogenic cheek, and reminds you that nobody does handsome-guy self-mockery better than Jon Hamm.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026
Working with sections about 2 inches wide, wrap the hair firmly around a silk heatless curling ribbon, directing the hair away from the face.

— Odeya Pinkus, InStyle, 8 July 2026

Definition of firmly

Adverb

But the coverage is administered by commercial insurance companies, which compete fiercely with one another for the business of about 56 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in drug plans.

— Susan Jaffe, NPR, 6 July 2026
Not one belonging to Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), one of the WSB’s most promising young agents, but her fiercely protective mother, Carly Spencer (Laura Wright).

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026

Definition of fiercely

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.

Browse Nearby Words

stiffing

stiffly

stiff-necked

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“Stiffly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiffly. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of stiffly

adverb

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