Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language

1. (superl.) Not easily bent; not flexible or pliant; not limber or flaccid; rigid; firm; as, stiff wood, paper, joints.

2. (superl.) Not liquid or fluid; thick and tenacious; inspissated; neither soft nor hard; as, the paste is stiff.

3. (superl.) Firm; strong; violent; difficult to oppose; as, a stiff gale or breeze.

4. (superl.) Not easily subdued; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; pertinacious; as, a stiff adversary.

5. (superl.) Not natural and easy; formal; constrained; affected; starched; as, stiff behavior; a stiff style.

6. (superl.) Harsh; disagreeable; severe; hard to bear.

7. (superl.) Bearing a press of canvas without careening much; as, a stiff vessel; -- opposed to crank.

8. (superl.) Very large, strong, or costly; powerful; as, a stiff charge; a stiff price.