Stiff (?), a. [Compar.
Stiffer (?); superl. Stiffest.] [OE.
stif, AS. stīf; akin to D. stijf, G.
steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel.
stīfr, 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.) 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.