# stiff /ˈstɪf/ (US) · /stˈɪf/ (UK) Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stiff Updated: 2026-06-20 ## Senses ### 1. hard to bend adjective · CEFR B1 firm and difficult to bend or move. For teachers: physically rigid or inflexible; resistant to bending or deformation. - The new leather boots were very stiff and gave him blisters. - The canvas had been treated with a heavy glaze, making it so stiff that it was nearly impossible to stretch over the wooden frame. ### 2. muscle pain adjective · CEFR B1 feeling pain or difficulty when moving your body, usually after exercise. For teachers: experiencing physical discomfort or reduced range of motion due to lactic acid buildup or minor muscle strain. - My legs are really stiff after that long hike yesterday. - He woke up with a stiff neck, likely the result of sleeping in an awkward position during the overnight flight. ### 3. formal behavior adjective · CEFR B2 acting in a very formal way that is not relaxed or friendly. For teachers: characterised by a lack of ease or spontaneity in social interaction; excessively formal. - The conversation was stiff and awkward because they didn't know each other. - The host gave a stiff greeting, making it clear that the uninvited guests were not entirely welcome at the private gala. ### 4. severe or difficult adjective · CEFR B2 very difficult, strong, or severe. For teachers: harsh, severe, or requiring great effort; often used to describe competition or penalties. - The company faces stiff competition from smaller, faster rivals. - The judge handed down a stiff sentence to deter others from committing similar financial crimes. ### 5. thick consistency adjective · CEFR B2 thick and difficult to stir. For teachers: having a high viscosity or dense consistency; in cooking, refers to mixtures that hold their shape. - Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. - The mixture should be stiff enough to hold a spoon upright before you fold in the remaining dry ingredients. ### 6. to not pay or tip verb · CEFR C1 · Informal · American English to fail to pay someone what you owe them, or to not leave a tip. For teachers: to cheat someone by failing to pay a bill or by providing an inadequate gratuity. - The group left the restaurant and stiffed the waiter on a hundred-dollar bill. - It is considered extremely poor etiquette to stiff a server, regardless of the quality of the service provided. Usage: The verb is transitive and takes the person being cheated as the direct object. ### 7. a dead body noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal a slang word for a dead person. For teachers: a cadaver or deceased person. - The detectives found a stiff in the alleyway behind the theater. - The medical examiner joked about the number of stiffs in the morgue, a dark coping mechanism common in the profession. Teaching tip: This term is very informal and can be seen as disrespectful; use 'body' or 'deceased' in serious contexts. ### 8. an ordinary person noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · American English an ordinary person who works a boring job. For teachers: a person of no particular distinction, often used in the phrase 'working stiff'. - He’s just a lucky stiff who won the lottery. - The politician tried to appeal to the average working stiff by visiting factories and diners during the campaign trail. ### 9. to a great degree adverb · CEFR B2 · Informal completely or extremely; used with words like 'bored' or 'scared'. For teachers: to an extreme degree; used as an intensifier with specific adjectives like 'bored', 'scared', or 'frozen'. - I was bored stiff during the three-hour lecture on tax law. - The hikers were scared stiff when they realized they were being followed by a mountain lion in the fading light. Usage: Usually follows the adjective it modifies. ## Examples - Don't be such a stiff and come dance with us. - The party was full of corporate stiffs in grey suits who only wanted to talk about their quarterly earnings. - While the detective was used to dealing with a stiff at a crime scene, he found the bureaucratic stiffs at headquarters much harder to manage. --- From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.