■ adjective
1》 not easily bent; rigid.
↘not moving freely; difficult to turn or operate.
↘unable to move easily and without pain.
2》 not relaxed or friendly; constrained.
3》 severe or strong: they face ~ fines.
↘(of a wind) blowing strongly.
↘(of an alcoholic drink) strong.
4》 ( ~ with ) informal full of.
5》 ( —— ~ ) informal having a specified unpleasant feeling to an extreme extent: scared ~.
■ noun informal
1》 a dead body.
2》 chiefly N. Amer. a boring, conventional person.
■ verb informal
1》 N. Amer. cheat (someone).
↘fail to leave (someone) a tip.
2》 N. Amer. ignore deliberately; snub.
3》 kill (someone).
Phrases
a ~ upper lip a quality of uncomplaining stoicism.
Derivatives
~ish adjective
~ly adverb
~ness noun
Origin
OE stīf , of Gmc origin.