Stiff Stɪf Difficult Cardboard Windows Open Adjective Bre

• stiff cardboard
• a stiff brush
• the windows were stiff and she couldn't get them open.
• i'm really stiff after that bike ride yesterday.

stiff

1. firm and difficult to bend or move
• stiff cardboard
• a stiff brush
• The windows were stiff and she couldn't get them open.
2. when a person is stiff, their muscles hurt when they move them
• I'm really stiff after that bike ride yesterday.
• I've got a stiff neck.
3. thick and almost solid; difficult to stir
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
4. more difficult or severe than usual
• It was a stiff climb to the top of the hill.
• The company faces stiff competition from its rivals.
• The new proposals have met with stiff opposition.
• There are stiff fines for breaking the rules.
• a stiff breeze/wind (= one that blows strongly)
5. not friendly or relaxed
• The speech he made to welcome them was stiff and formal.
6. costing a lot or too much
• There's a stiff $30 entrance fee to the exhibition.
7. strong; containing a lot of alcohol
• a stiff whisky
• ‘What you need is a stiff drink,’ he told her.
8. to keep calm and hide your feelings when you are in pain or in a difficult situation
• He was taught to keep a stiff upper lip and never to cry in public.
• Their reaction contrasts sharply with the stiff upper lip of the English.

Extra Examples

• He felt stiff all over.
• His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal.
• I was stiff from kneeling.
• My arm’s gone all stiff.
• My fingers had gone stiff with cold.
• My trousers were getting stiff with mud.
• She lay stiff and still beside him.
• She was aware that her words sounded stiff.
• The captain stood as stiff as a board.
• The clothes were stiff with dust and grease.
• Their punishment seemed rather stiff.
• You’ll get stiff if you don’t have a hot bath.
• in the face of some very stiff competition
• He had the accent and the stiff manner of a school house master.
• I’ve got a stiff neck from sleeping in a draught.
• It was an old blanket, frayed and stiff with dirt.
• Scrub away any residue with a stiff brush.
• The brown hair was coarse and stiff.
• The course represents a stiff test of a golfer’s skills.
• The windows were stiff and she couldn’t get them open.
• a sheet of stiff black cardboard

Word Origin

• Old English stīf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stijf.