STIFFNESS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does stiffness mean? 

• STIFFNESS (noun)
  The noun STIFFNESS has 5 senses:

1. the physical property of being inflexible and hard to bend

2. the property of moving with pain or difficulty

3. firm resoluteness in purpose or opinion or action

4. the inelegance of someone stiff and unrelaxed (as by embarrassment)

5. excessive sternness

  Familiarity information: STIFFNESS used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STIFFNESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The physical property of being inflexible and hard to bend

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("stiffness" is a kind of...):

inelasticity (the lack of elasticity)

Derivation:

stiff (incapable of or resistant to bending)

stiff (not moving or operating freely)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The property of moving with pain or difficulty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

he awoke with a painful stiffness in his neck

Hypernyms ("stiffness" is a kind of...):

awkwardness; clumsiness (the carriage of someone whose movements and posture are ungainly or inelegant)

Derivation:

stiff (incapable of or resistant to bending)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Firm resoluteness in purpose or opinion or action

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

a charming host without any touch of stiffness or pomposity

Hypernyms ("stiffness" is a kind of...):

firmness; firmness of purpose; resoluteness; resolution; resolve (the trait of being resolute)

Derivation:

stiff (marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The inelegance of someone stiff and unrelaxed (as by embarrassment)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

awkwardness; clumsiness; gracelessness; stiffness

Hypernyms ("stiffness" is a kind of...):

inelegance (the quality of lacking refinement and good taste)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stiffness"):

woodenness (the quality of being wooden and awkward)

gaucherie; rusticity (the quality of being rustic or gauche)

Derivation:

stiff (rigidly formal)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Excessive sternness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

hardness; harshness; inclemency; rigor; rigorousness; rigour; rigourousness; severeness; severity; stiffness

Context example:

the rigors of boot camp

Hypernyms ("stiffness" is a kind of...):

sternness; strictness (uncompromising resolution)

 Context examples 

If you feel pain and stiffness in your body or have trouble moving around, you might have arthritis.

(Arthritis, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

A question about whether an individual is or was bothered by shoulder stiffness.

(Bothered by Shoulder Stiffness, NCI Thesaurus)

Early symptoms include back pain and stiffness.

(Ankylosing Spondylitis, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease)

This can cause pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in joints throughout the body.

(Rheumatoid arthritis mechanisms may vary by joint, NIH)

Activation of this system increases blood vessel constriction, which can contribute to arterial stiffness.

(High Doses of Vitamin D Rapidly Reduce Arterial Stiffness, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

For example, joint stiffness could mean arthritis.

(Foot Health, NIH: National Institute on Aging)

A question about whether an individual has or had stiffness.

(Have Stiffness, NCI Thesaurus)

It is characterized by muscle stiffness, hypertrophy, pain, and cramping.

(Myotonia Congenita, NCI Thesaurus)

It is accompanied by pain and stiffness, particularly after prolonged activity.

(Osteoarthritis, NCI Thesaurus)

It causes joint swelling, pain, stiffness, and loss of motion.

(Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)