stiff

//stɪf//
B1Frequency Level 9Neutral
Visual representation of stiff

Adjective

stiffCanonical form
stifferComparative
stiffestSuperlative
1

Not easily bent or changed in shape; rigid.

The cardboard was too stiff to fold.

2

Not moving or operating freely; difficult to turn or move.

The door handle is stiff and hard to turn.

3

(Of a person or their manner) not relaxed or friendly; formal and constrained.

His stiff manner made the guests feel uncomfortable.

4

Severe or strong, especially in degree or intensity.

The company faces stiff competition in the market.

5

(Of a muscle or body part) painful and difficult to move, typically as a result of exercise or injury.

My neck is stiff from sitting at the computer all day.

Noun

1

(Informal) A dead body; a corpse.

The detective found a stiff in the abandoned warehouse.

2

(Informal) An ordinary person, often used in a slightly dismissive way.

He's just a working stiff trying to make ends meet.

Adverb

stiffCanonical form
stifferComparative
stiffestSuperlative
1

To an extreme degree; completely.

I was bored stiff during the long meeting.

stiff - Deep Vocabulary