Stiff (?), a. [Compar. Stiffer (?); superl. Stiffest.] [OE. stif, AS. stīf; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. stīfr, Lith. stipti to be stiff; cf. L. stipes a post, trunk of a tree, stipare to press, compress. Cf. Costive, Stifle, Stipulate, Stive to stuff.]
1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, “stiff wood, paper, joints”.
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[They] rising on stiff pennons, tower
The mid aerial sky. Milton.
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2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, “the paste is stiff”.
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3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, “a stiff gale or breeze”.
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4. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, “a stiff adversary”.
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It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument. Jer. Taylor.
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A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause,
Stiff to defend their hospitable laws. Dryden.
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5. Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, “stiff behavior; a stiff style”.
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The French are open, familiar, and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious, and reserved. Addison.
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6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.] “This is stiff news.” Shak.
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7. (Naut.) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, “a stiff vessel”; -- opposed to crank. Totten.
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8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, “a stiff charge; a stiff price”. [Slang]
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Stiff neck, a condition of the neck such that the head can not be moved without difficulty and pain.
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Syn. -- Rigid; inflexible; strong; hardly; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; harsh; formal; constrained; affected; starched; rigorous.
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