stiff

Difficult to bend or move easily, especially because your muscles hurt.

• My neck is stiff.
• His legs felt stiff after the long walk.
• This stiff cardboard will not bend easily.

Similar words: rigid

Opposites: flexible

Common phrases: stiff neck, stiff muscles, stiff cardboard

Very severe or difficult to deal with.

• He received a stiff fine.
• The new team faces stiff competition.
• Judges imposed stiffer penalties this year.

Similar words: severe, harsh, tough

Opposites: mild

Common phrases: stiff fine, stiff penalty, stiff competition

Having a strong effect or great force.

• He wanted a stiff drink.
• A stiff breeze shook the trees.
• She poured herself a stiffer whisky.

Similar words: strong, powerful

Opposites: weak

Common phrases: stiff drink, stiff breeze, stiff dose

An ordinary person, especially someone who works hard for little money.

• He is a working stiff.
• Most working stiffs cannot afford that hotel.
• She writes stories about ordinary stiffs with boring jobs.

Similar words: ordinary person, working person

Common phrases: working stiff, ordinary stiff, poor stiff

The body of a dead person.

• They found a stiff upstairs.
• The detective examined the stiff in the morgue.
• Two stiffs lay under white sheets.

Similar words: corpse, dead body

Common phrases: a stiff, find a stiff

A person who is easily tricked or cheated.

• The stiff believed every word.
• They tricked another stiff into paying.
• The thieves searched for stiffs with plenty of cash.

Similar words: sucker, mark

Common phrases: a gullible stiff, cheat a stiff

If you do this, you fail to pay someone money you owe them.

• They stiffed the waiter.
• My last boss stiffed me on my wages.
• Have any customers stiffed you today?

How to use it: stiff someone on something (The customer stiffed her on the tip.)

Similar words: cheat, shortchange

Common phrases: stiff someone, stiff the waiter