Words / B2

STIF/stɪf/

Stiff means difficult to bend, severe (a stiff penalty), or not relaxed: a stiff penalty; stiff with cold. Rigid is the materials twin; severe is the punishment twin. A stiff penalty for malpractice is set by the board. Mix-up: staff are workers; still means not moving (already in the dictionary). Do not write stiff for “staff meeting”.

Meaning

Difficult to bend; also severe (a stiff penalty), or not relaxed.

Examples

• “A stiff penalty for malpractice is set by the board, not by a head of year.”
• “The hinge was stiff after the frost, which is the hard-to-bend sense.”

Good to know

a stiff + noun; stiffly; bored stiff (informal). Materials: rigid. Trap: staff / still. Law, DT, and news. Unbending, severe, or formal — not workers.

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