STIFFER
Adjective
stiffer
comparative form of stiff More rigid, more inflexible, more unbending.
Anagrams
• Streiff, restiff
Source: Wiktionary
STIFF
Stiff, a. [Compar. Stiffer; superl. Stiffest.] Etym: [OE. stif, AS.
stif; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. stifr,
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. 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 aërial 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." Shak.
7. (Naut.)
Definition: Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff
vessel; -- opposed to crank. Totten.
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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition