adj. 1 firm, rigid, inelastic, unbending, inflexible, hard, unbendable, tough, solid, solidified, stiffened, unyielding, brittle The table napkins were so stiff with starch that I almost cracked one 2 severe, harsh, punitive, hurtful, punishing, abusive, torturous, distressing, afflictive, painful, overwhelming, unbearable, tormenting, merciless, excruciating, cruel, drastic, US cruel and unusual The government here has stiff penalties for drug traffickers 3 strong, potent, powerful, overpowering, alcoholic After that kind of an ordeal, you could use a stiff drink, I'm sure 4 vigorous, energetic, staunch, dogged, tenacious, resolute, resolved, determined, stubborn, obstinate, unyielding, indomitable, relentless They met with stiff opposition in trying to capture the fort 5 strong, steady, powerful, fresh, brisk, spanking, gusty, forceful, howling We had to reduce sail because of a stiff westerly wind 6 excessive, exorbitant, high, steep, expensive, dear They are asking a pretty stiff price these days for a bottle of good vintage port 7 cool, haughty, rigid, wooden, stuffy, aloof, tense, intense, unrelaxed, forced, pompous, stilted, mannered, ceremonious, austere, formal, chilly, cold, unfriendly, standoffish, reserved, snobbish, Colloq snooty, Slang uptight Vince is warm and friendly, but his wife is as stiff as a poker 8 stilted, unrelaxed, wooden, forced, artificial, laboured, pedantic, turgid, formal, prim, Colloq stuffy I have always found her writing to be rather stiff 9 difficult, hard, steep, uphill, laborious, arduous, tiring, fatiguing, exhausting, harrowing, toilsome, rigorous, challenging, Colloq rough, tough It is quite a stiff climb to the top of the pyramid of Cheops That was a stiff homework assignment. 10 solid, semi-solid, firm, hard, thick, dense, compact If you add a bit more water the next time, the jelly won't get quite so stiff
n. 11 corpse, body, cadaver Barry had to go down to the morgue to identify some stiff they hauled out of the river 12 skinflint, miser, Colloq cheapskate, Slang piker, US and Canadian tightwad A stiff is a customer who fails to leave a tip