stiff

UK: /ˈstɪf/ US: /stɪf/ ,(stif )

Inflections of 'stiff' (adj):

stiffer

adj comparative

stiffest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

stiff /stɪf/   adj., -er, -est, n., adv., v. 
adj. 

1. rigid or firm:
   a stiff collar.
2. not moving or working easily:
   The garage door handle gets stiff in the cold.
3. (of a person or animal) moving with difficulty or with pain, as from cold, age, etc.:
   He was stiff from back pain.
4. strong;
   forceful;
   powerful:
   stiff winds.
5. strong to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine:
   [before a noun] a few stiff drinks at the bar.
6. stubbornly continued:
   a stiff battle.
7. very formal or not very friendly:
   She gave me a stiff, cold smile.
8. lacking ease and grace;
   clumsy or awkward:
   a stiff style of writing.
9. laborious or difficult, as a task:
   Analyzing all those sales figures was a stiff assignment.
10. severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand:
    a stiff fine.
11. unusually high or great;
    excessive:
    a stiff price.
12. relatively firm in consistency;
    thick;
    nearly solid:
    Beat the egg whites until stiff.

n. [countable]

13. Slang Terms
    • a dead body;
      corpse.
    • one who is too formal and unfriendly.
    • a poor tipper;
      someone not generous;
      a tightwad:
      That stiff left her only fifty cents as a tip!
    • a drunk.
    • a fellow:
      He's a lucky stiff, winning the lotto on his first try.

adv. 

14. in or to a firm or rigid state.
15. completely, intensely, or extremely:
    scared stiff; bored stiff.

v. [~ + object]

16. Slang Terms to fail to tip or pay (a waiter, etc.):
    The customer stiffed the bartender.

stiff•ly, adv. 
stiff•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

stiff  (stif ), adj., -er, -est, n., adv., v. 
adj. 

1. rigid or firm;
   difficult or impossible to bend or flex:
   a stiff collar.
2. not moving or working easily:
   The motor was a little stiff from the cold weather.
3. (of a person or animal) not supple;
   moving with difficulty, as from cold, age, exhaustion, or injury.
4. strong;
   forceful;
   powerful:
   stiff winds; The fighter threw a stiff right to his opponent's jaw.
5. strong or potent to the taste or system, as a beverage or medicine:
   He was cold and wanted a good stiff drink.
6. resolute;
   firm in purpose;
   unyielding;
   stubborn.
7. stubbornly continued:
   a stiff battle.
8. firm against any tendency to decrease, as stock-market prices.
9. rigidly formal;
   cold and unfriendly, as people, manners, or proceedings.
10. lacking ease and grace;
    awkward:
    a stiff style of writing.
11. excessively regular or formal, as a design;
    not graceful in form or arrangement.
12. laborious or difficult, as a task.
13. severe or harsh, as a penalty or demand.
14. excessive;
    unusually high or great:
    $50 is pretty stiff to pay for that.
15. firm from tension;
    taut:
    to keep a stiff rein.
16. relatively firm in consistency, as semisolid matter;
    thick:
    a stiff jelly; a stiff batter.
17. dense or compact;
    not friable:
    stiff soil.
18. Nautical, Naval Terms (of a vessel) having a high resistance to rolling;
    stable (opposed to crank).
19. Scottish Terms sturdy, stout, or strongly built.
20. British Terms [Australian Slang.] out of luck;
    unfortunate.

n. 
21. Slang Terms
    • a dead body;
      corpse.
    • a formal or priggish person.
    • a poor tipper;
      tightwad.
    • a drunk.
22. Slang Terms
    • a fellow:
      lucky stiff; poor stiff.
    • a tramp;
      hobo.
    • a laborer.
23. Slang Terms
    • a forged check.
    • a promissory note or bill of exchange.
    • a letter or note, esp. if secret or smuggled.
24. Slang Terms a contestant, esp. a racehorse, sure to lose.

adv. 
25. in or to a firm or rigid state:
    The wet shirt was frozen stiff.
26. completely, intensely, or extremely:
    I'm bored stiff by these lectures. We're scared stiff.

v.t. 
27. Slang Terms to fail or refuse to tip (a waiter, porter, etc.).
28. Slang Terms to cheat;
    gyp;
    do out of:
    The company stiffed me out of a week's pay.
• bef. 1000; Middle English (adjective, adjectival and adverb, adverbial); Old English stīf; cognate with German steif; akin to stifle¹, steeve¹
stiff′ish, adj. 
stiff′ly, adv. 
stiff′ness, n. 
Synonyms
• 1. unbending, unyielding. See firm ¹.
• 6. unrelenting, resolved, obstinate, pertinacious.
• 9. reserved, constrained, starched, prim.
• 10. graceless, inelegant.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

stiff / stɪf/ adjective

1. not easily bent; rigid; inflexible
2. not working or moving easily or smoothly: a stiff handle
3. difficult to accept in its severity or harshness: a stiff punishment
4. moving with pain or difficulty; not supple: a stiff neck
5. difficult; arduous: a stiff climb
6. unrelaxed or awkward; formal
7. firmer than liquid in consistency; thick or viscous
8. powerful; strong: a stiff breeze, a stiff drink
9. excessively high: a stiff price
10. lacking grace or attractiveness
11. stubborn or stubbornly maintained: a stiff fight
12. tightly stretched; taut
13. unlucky
14. intoxicated
15. stiff upper lip ⇒
    See lip9
16. stiff with ⇒ amply provided with

noun

1. a corpse
2. anything thought to be a loser or a failure; flop

adverb

1. completely or utterly: bored stiff, frozen stiff

verb

1. (intransitive) to fail: the film stiffed
2. (transitive) to cheat or swindle

Etymology: Old English stīf; related to Old Norse stīfla to dam up, Middle Low German stīf stiff, Latin stīpēs wooden post, stīpāre to press

ˈstiffish adjective

ˈstiffly adverb

ˈstiffness noun