Stiff \Stiff\, a. [Compar. Stiffer; superl. Stiffest.]

[OE. stif, AS. st[=i]f; akin to D. stijf, G. steif, Dan. stiv, Sw. styf, Icel. st[=i]fr, 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 a["e]rial 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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)