Word Definition

Stiff

  1. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff.
  2. Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style.
  3. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints.
  4. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear.
  5. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary.
  6. Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank.
  7. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price.
  8. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.