DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
Stiff a. [Compar. Stiffer superl. Stiffest.]
1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints.
[They] rising on stiff pennons, tower
The mid aerial sky. --Milton.
2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff.
3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.
4. Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary.
It is a shame to stand stiff in a foolish argument. --Jer. Taylor.
A war ensues: the Cretans own their cause,
Stiff to defend their hospitable laws. --Dryden.
5. Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style.
The French are open, familiar, and talkative; the Italians stiff, ceremonious, and reserved. --Addison.
6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. [Obs. or Colloq.] “This is stiff news.”
7. Naut. Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank.
8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price. [Slang]
Stiff neck, a condition of the neck such that the head can not be moved without difficulty and pain.
Syn: -- Rigid; inflexible; strong; hardly; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; harsh; formal; constrained; affected; starched; rigorous.
◄ ►