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# stiff

«stiff» in Mova's school dictionary: **hard and not easy to bend or move** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (stiffer, stiffest); adverb (bored stiff, scared stiff)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Stiff means hard and not easy to bend or move. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#m1)

2) If your body is stiff, your muscles or joints hurt and are hard to move. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#m2)

3) Stiff means difficult or strong, like a stiff test or a stiff wind. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#m3)

4) Stiff behaviour is too formal and not friendly or relaxed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#m4)

5) Bored stiff or scared stiff means very bored or very scared. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#m5)

6) Stiff can also mean stubborn and refusing to give way. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

In science, stiff materials like card or metal do not bend easily; they are useful for supports and frames. In health, muscles are stiff after hard exercise, so stretch and warm up. A stiff neck with a fever and rash can be a sign of serious illness and needs a doctor. In cooking, beat egg whites until stiff. Phrases: a stiff neck, stiff as a board, bored stiff, a stiff breeze, stiff competition.

### examples

- The new shoes are stiff and hurt my feet. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x1)
- My legs were stiff after the long walk. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x2)
- Cardboard is stiffer than paper. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x3)
- I woke up with a stiff neck. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x4)
- A stiff wind blew across the field. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x5)
- The test was stiff, but I passed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x6)
- I was scared stiff during the film. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x7)
- Who's a gwine fer ter stan' stiff-kneed en bol'. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/#x8)

### note

Adverb: stiffly. Noun: stiffness. Opposite: flexible or soft. Do not confuse stiff with "staff" (people who work somewhere).

### In the corpora

- [Everyone gets older: grey hair, glasses and stiffer knees come, but so do experience and wisdom.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/40-being-a-good-grown-up/13/)
- [A loose wide tail wag usually means a happy dog, but a stiff high wag can mean the dog is tense.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/24-wolves-and-dogs/13/)
- [A hedgehog wears about five thousand spines, and each one is a stiff, hollow hair.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/214-hedgehogs-spines-hibernation-and-how-to-help-them/0/)
- [A stick insect sways like a twig in the wind and drops to the floor stiff as a stick when touched.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/330-unusual-pets-stick-insects-giant-snails-ant-farms-and-hermit-crabs/2/)
- [Przewalski's horses are short and stocky, sandy brown, with a stiff mane that stands up like a brush.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/373-ukraine-s-steppe-marmots-sousliks-great-bustards-and-askania-nova/19/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «stiff» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stiff/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.