STIFF

stiff. Stiff, a. stubborn, harsh, strong, hard, thick, formal

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Stiff (?), a. [Compar. Stiffer (?); superl. Stiffest.] [[OE. stif, AS. stīf; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. stīfr, Lith. stipti to be stiff; cf. L. stipes a post, trunk of a tree, stipare to press, compress. Cf. Costive, Stifle, Stipulate, Stive to stuff.]] 1. 1. Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints.
rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid aërial sky. Milton. 2. 2. Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff.
3. 3. Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.
4. 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. 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. 6. Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear. “This is stiff news.” Shak.
7. 7. (Naut.) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; — opposed to crank. Totten.
8. 8. Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price.
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.