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.
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