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stiffen

 
Dictionary: stiff·en   (stĭf'ən) pronunciation
tr. & intr.v., -ened, -en·ing, -ens.
To make or become stiff or stiffer.

stiffener stiff'en·er n.

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Thesaurus: stiffen
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verb

  1. To make stiff or stiffer: starch. See flexible/rigid.
  2. To make or become tense: tauten, tense, tighten. See tighten/loosen.

Antonyms: stiffen
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v

Definition: make or become harder
Antonyms: liquefy, loosen, melt, relax, weaken


WordNet: stiffen
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 3 meanings:

Meaning #1: become stiff or stiffer
  Antonym: loosen (meaning #7)

Meaning #2: make stiff or stiffer
  Antonym: loosen (meaning #1)

Meaning #3: restrict
  Synonyms: tighten, tighten up, constrain


Translations: Stiffen
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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - stivne, gøre stiv, stive, afstive, stramme
v. intr. - stivne

idioms:

  • stiffen up    stramme op

Nederlands (Dutch)
verstijven, stijf maken, verstarren, vermoorden

Français (French)
v. tr. - renforcer (une carte), raidir (une structure), empeser (un tissu), donner de la consistance à (un mélange), (fig) affermir
v. intr. - se raidir, (Culin) devenir ferme, prendre de la consistance, s'ankyloser, se raidir (des membres)

idioms:

  • stiffen up    s'ankyloser, se raidir

Deutsch (German)
v. - versteifen, steifer werden, (sich) verstärken

idioms:

  • stiffen up    steif machen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - σκληραίνω, ενισχύω (την ανθεκτικότητα), κολλαρίζω, πήζω, στερεοποιούμαι, κοκαλώνω, μουδιάζω

idioms:

  • stiffen up    πιάνομαι

Italiano (Italian)
irrigidire, inamidare, irrigidirsi

idioms:

  • stiffen up    ostinarsi

Português (Portuguese)
v. - endurecer, fortalecer

idioms:

  • stiffen up    tornar-se mais forte e determinado

Русский (Russian)
придавать жесткость, укреплять, цепенеть, убивать, мешать развитию, фунционированию, притуплять (чувства), ужесточать (требования), усиливаться (о ветре), повышаться (о цене)

idioms:

  • stiffen up    оцепенеть

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - endurecer, atiesar, dar rigidez, dar firmeza, armar, reforzar, envarar, entumir
v. intr. - quedarse rígido, anquilosarse, entumecerse, atiesarse, ponerse tieso, endurecerse, fortalecerse, agarrotarse, espesarse, perder naturalidad, obstinarse, refrescar (el viento)

idioms:

  • stiffen up    reforzar(se), endurecer(se), fortalecer(se), ponerse rígido o tieso

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - bli styv, bli hård, bli stel

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
使坚硬, 使生硬, 使僵硬, 变硬, 变挺, 变强硬, 变僵硬, 变坚定

idioms:

  • stiffen up    使变硬, 使变挺, 变硬, 变挺

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 使堅硬, 使生硬, 使僵硬
v. intr. - 變硬, 變挺, 變強硬, 變僵硬, 變堅定

idioms:

  • stiffen up    使變硬, 使變挺, 變硬, 變挺

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 딱딱하게 하다, 경직 시키다, 진하게 하다
v. intr. - ~을 가하게 하다, 고집이 세지다, 비싸게 하다

idioms:

  • stiffen up    뻣뻣해지다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 堅くする, こわばらせる, 堅苦しくさせる, 硬化させる, 硬化する, こわばる

idioms:

  • stiffen up    堅くする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) صلب, تصلب‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הקשה‬
v. intr. - ‮התקשה, התקשח‬


 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
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