easy
My new shoes felt stiff at first.
What does Stiff mean?
hard to bend or move.
Dictionary definition
Hard to bend or move; not soft or flexible.
Example sentences
Stiff in a sentence
medium
The cold air made the wet towel stiff.
hard
The character's stiff posture showed that he felt nervous and formal.
Writing practice
Ready to write your own? Study the examples, then practice stiff in a sentence with Sentence Builder checklist feedback.
Quick practice
⬡ Earn 5 Honey
Practice the meaning of Stiff
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What does stiff mean?
Stiff means hard to bend or move.
Practice 2
Which word is closest in meaning to stiff?
Rigid is close in meaning to stiff in this context.
Practice 3
Choose the best word to complete the sentence: The cardboard was too ___ to fold neatly.
Stiff fits because the cardboard was hard to bend.
Practice complete
Nice work!
You completed 3 questions.
Pronunciation coach
⬡ Earn 5 Honey
Stiff
Voice settings
Sounds like
STIF
Listen, then repeat the word.
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
STIF
Learn
WordStiff.
Partadjective.
MeaningStiff means hard to bend or move.
ExampleExample: My new shoes felt stiff at first.
Your turn
Say Stiff
Record a short attempt, then compare it with the Coach. Your recording stays on this device and is not uploaded.
Coach
My attempt
Ready when you are.
Nice work—you practiced stiff.
Synonyms
Words like Stiff
rigidUse when something is firm and hard to bend.
firmUse when something is not soft.
inflexibleUse when something does not bend easily.
Antonyms
Opposite words
Synonym practice
Want to practice stiff synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "The stiff cardboard was hard to fold," then compare close word choices. Practice stiff synonyms.
Word family
Stiff word family
Base word
stiff
adjective
stiffer
More stiff.
adjective
stiffest
Most stiff.
noun
stiffness
The quality of being stiff.
Related words
Explore related words
Student support
Understand Stiff
Hint for students
hard to bend or move.
Common mix-up
Stiff is not the same as flexible. Stiff means hard to bend or move.
Try it in class or at home
Read this model sentence: The cold air made the wet towel stiff. Clue words: cold, air, made. Underline clue words that show why stiff fits instead of flexible. Now write one new sentence that shows stiff without using the word stiff. Ask: Does my sentence clearly show stiff?
Teacher prompt
Ask students to explain this model sentence: "The cold air made the wet towel stiff." Why does stiff fit better than flexible?
Learning activities
Practice Stiff and explore more word games
Cards labelled “Practice STIFF” keep this word in focus. Explore cards open games with other words.
Practice STIFF
Sentence Builder
Write your own sentence with this word and revise with checklist feedback.
Write a sentence with STIFF
Explore · Spelling
Spell Hive
Hear the word, type the spelling, and use spoken clues when needed.
Practice spelling
Explore · Definitions
Define the Word Hive
Choose the meaning that fits and get instant feedback.
Practice definitions
Explore · Matching
Vocabulary Match
Pair words with meanings and review misses with dictionary links.
Match meanings
Explore · Context
Context Clue Challenge
Use sentence clues to choose the word that fits the meaning.
Use context clues
Explore · Scramble
Scrambled Bees
Rebuild words from mixed-up letters for spelling practice.
Rebuild words