stiff
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.firm and difficult to bend or move.
adj.physically rigid or inflexible; resistant to bending or deformation.
Simple“The new leather boots were very stiff and gave him blisters.”
In context“The canvas had been treated with a heavy glaze, making it so stiff that it was nearly impossible to stretch over the wooden frame.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
adj.feeling pain or difficulty when moving your body, usually after exercise.
adj.experiencing physical discomfort or reduced range of motion due to lactic acid buildup or minor muscle strain.
Simple“My legs are really stiff after that long hike yesterday.”
In context“He woke up with a stiff neck, likely the result of sleeping in an awkward position during the overnight flight.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.acting in a very formal way that is not relaxed or friendly.
adj.characterised by a lack of ease or spontaneity in social interaction; excessively formal.
Simple“The conversation was stiff and awkward because they didn't know each other.”
In context“The host gave a stiff greeting, making it clear that the uninvited guests were not entirely welcome at the private gala.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.very difficult, strong, or severe.
adj.harsh, severe, or requiring great effort; often used to describe competition or penalties.
Simple“The company faces stiff competition from smaller, faster rivals.”
In context“The judge handed down a stiff sentence to deter others from committing similar financial crimes.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.thick and difficult to stir.
adj.having a high viscosity or dense consistency; in cooking, refers to mixtures that hold their shape.
Simple“Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.”
In context“The mixture should be stiff enough to hold a spoon upright before you fold in the remaining dry ingredients.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
v.to fail to pay someone what you owe them, or to not leave a tip.
v.to cheat someone by failing to pay a bill or by providing an inadequate gratuity.
Simple“The group left the restaurant and stiffed the waiter on a hundred-dollar bill.”
In context“It is considered extremely poor etiquette to stiff a server, regardless of the quality of the service provided.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and takes the person being cheated as the direct object.
- 07 C1 Advanced
n.a slang word for a dead person.
n.a cadaver or deceased person.
Simple“The detectives found a stiff in the alleyway behind the theater.”
In context“The medical examiner joked about the number of stiffs in the morgue, a dark coping mechanism common in the profession.”
Teacher's tipThis term is very informal and can be seen as disrespectful; use 'body' or 'deceased' in serious contexts.
- 08 C2 Proficiency
n.an ordinary person who works a boring job.
n.a person of no particular distinction, often used in the phrase 'working stiff'.
Simple“He’s just a lucky stiff who won the lottery.”
In context“The politician tried to appeal to the average working stiff by visiting factories and diners during the campaign trail.”
- 09 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.completely or extremely; used with words like 'bored' or 'scared'.
adv.to an extreme degree; used as an intensifier with specific adjectives like 'bored', 'scared', or 'frozen'.
Simple“I was bored stiff during the three-hour lecture on tax law.”
In context“The hikers were scared stiff when they realized they were being followed by a mountain lion in the fading light.”
UsageUsually follows the adjective it modifies.
Synonyms
“Even in the US, Google has stiff competition.”
“What lies before me is a stiff wax model of the man I love.”
From Middle English stiff, stiffe, stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic stīf, from Proto-Germanic stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steypós. See also West Frisian stiif, Dutch stijf, Norwegian Bokmål stiv, German steif; also Latin stīpes, stīpō, from which English stevedore. The expected Modern English form would be /staɪf/; /stɪf/ is probably originally from compounds such as stiffly, where the vowel was shortened before a consonant cluster.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.