| 释义 |
stiffstiff1 /stɪf/ ●●○ adjective ETYMOLOGYstiff1Origin: Old English stif ► a stiff neck/back/joint etc. Sleeping on the plane gave me a stiff neck. ► felt ... stiff I felt really stiff after playing basketball last week. ► a stiff sentence/penalty/fine new stiffer penalties for drug dealers ► stiff competition/opposition/resistance The company is facing stiff competition from Canadian manufacturers. THESAURUSif part of your body is painful, you feel pain in it► painfulif part of your body is painful, you feel pain in it: Jim’s knee was still painful where he had fallen on it. ► tender painful when touched: Your arm may be tender for a few days after the shot. ► stiff painful and difficult to move: I woke up with a stiff neck after sleeping on the airplane. ► aching painful in a way that continues but is not too strong. Used especially about muscles and heads: After a day of standing on her feet, she just wanted someone to rub her aching back. ► sore painful as a result of an infection or too much exercise: My throat is really sore. I think I’m catching a cold. It’s common for runners to have sore leg muscles. ► raw painful, red, and sore. Used especially about skin that has been rubbed too much: I worked in the garden all day, and now my hands are red and raw. firm► hard not soft, and difficult to press down, bend, break, or cut: Diamond is the hardest substance known to man. He chipped his tooth on a piece of hard candy. ► firm not completely hard, but not soft and not easy to press down: Brownies are done when the edges are firm but the middle is still soft. ► stiff difficult to bend or move: He made the sign with a piece of stiff cardboard. ► solid firm and usually hard, without spaces or holes: They blasted the tunnel through solid rock. ► rigid stiff and impossible to bend: Old airplanes had a rigid frame with cloth stretched tightly over it. ► crisp slightly hard and making a pleasant sound when broken. Used about food, dry leaves, and snow: She bit into the crisp apple. ► stale hard, dry, and no longer fresh. Used especially about food such as bread or cake: The bread was so stale it was hard to chew. 1BODY if a part of your body is stiff or you are stiff, your muscles hurt and it is difficult to move: My legs are stiff from going running last night.a stiff neck/back/joint etc. Sleeping on the plane gave me a stiff neck. I felt really stiff after playing basketball last week.► see thesaurus at painful2PAPER/MATERIAL ETC. hard and difficult to bend: a shirt with a stiff collar► see thesaurus at hard13MIXTURE a stiff mixture is thick and almost solid so that it is not easy to mix: Beat the egg whites until stiff.4STRICT/SEVERE more difficult, strict, or severe than usual: a stiff sentence/penalty/fine new stiffer penalties for drug dealersstiff competition/opposition/resistance The company is facing stiff competition from Canadian manufacturers.5UNFRIENDLY unfriendly or very formal so that other people feel uncomfortable: Their goodbyes were stiff and formal.6a stiff drink/whiskey etc. a very strong alcoholic drink7a stiff wind/breeze a fairly strong wind8stiff as a board spoken extremely hard and difficult to bend9keep a stiff upper lip to try to keep calm and not show your feelings in a situation when most people would become upset[Origin: Old English stif]—stiffly adverb—stiffness noun [uncountable] |