I. ˈstif adjective
Etymology: Middle English stif, from Old English stīf; akin to Middle Dutch stijf stiff, Latin stipare to press together, Greek steibein to tread on
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. : not easily bent : rigid
a stiff collar
b. : lacking in suppleness or flexibility
stiff muscles
c. : impeded in movement — used of a mechanism
a truck's stiff suspension
d. : drunk 1a
2.
a. : firm , resolute
b. : stubborn , unyielding
c. : proud
d.
(1) : marked by reserve or decorum
(2) : lacking in ease or grace : stilted
3. : hard fought : pugnacious , sharp
drove a stiff bargain
stiff competition
4.
a.
(1) : exerting great force
a stiff wind
(2) : forceful , vigorous
b. : potent
a stiff dose
poured her a stiff drink
5. : of a dense or glutinous consistency : thick
6.
a. : harsh , severe
a stiff penalty
b. : arduous , rugged
stiff terrain
7. : not easily heeled over by an external force (as the wind)
a stiff ship
8. : expensive , steep
paid a stiff price
• stiff·ish ˈsti-fish adjective
• stiff·ly adverb
• stiff·ness noun
Synonyms:
stiff , rigid , inflexible mean difficult to bend. stiff may apply to any degree of this condition
stretching keeps your muscles from becoming stiff
rigid applies to something so stiff that it cannot be bent without breaking
a rigid surfboard
inflexible stresses lack of suppleness or pliability
ski boots with inflexible soles
II. adverb
Date: 13th century
1. : in a stiff manner : stiffly
2. : to an extreme degree : severely
scared stiff
bored stiff
3. : close enough to the hole for an easy putt in golf
hit it stiff and tapped it in for an easy birdie
III. noun
Date: circa 1859
1. : corpse
2.
a. : tramp , bum
b. : a member of the working class ; especially : a blue-collar worker
c. : person
a lucky stiff
especially : a stodgy or excessively decorous person
3. : flop , failure
IV. verb
Date: 1950
transitive verb
1.
a. : to refuse to pay or tip
stiff ed the waiter
b. : cheat
stiff ed him in a business deal
c. : stick 7a
stiff ed us with the bar bill
2. : snub 3
stiff ed sportswriters after the game
intransitive verb
: to fail commercially
the movie stiff ed at the box office