stiffness

Examples

• All

• " I don't know, " she said, and then her eyes made contact with Jerome's, and some of the stiffness went out of her.

  Fiction book (1994)

• But she stood frozen before him, unmoving, and he felt only the stiffness of her, the wariness.

  Fiction book (1994)

• A stiffness and self-consciousness held us so that we hardly looked at one another.

  Fiction book (1990)

• "The stiffness in his face melted then, and I saw how terrified he had been.

  Fiction book (1993)

• Her shyness had been transmuted into reticence, her stiffness into dignity.

  Fiction book (1993)

• She made a point of walking over to offer her hand, though Matt's disapproval lent stiffness to her action.

  Fiction book (2002)

• Despite her best efforts, the stiffness of her upper lip was dissolving in the badly pent-up floods of tears trembling in her eyes.

  Fiction book (1994)

• Her stiffness was noticeable as she awkwardly accepted the award from the audience.

• He walked with a stiffness in his back after sitting in the same position for hours.

• The stiffness in her voice revealed her discomfort during the interview.

Synonyms

A

awkwardness

vsstiffness

2 3.6

Lack of skill or grace when moving, often causing trips

is more specifically about feeling uneasy and self conscious in manner

T

tenseness

vsstiffness

1 6.4

A tight feeling in muscles that makes them hard to relax

is about social embarrassment causing uneasy movement rather than physical tension

W

woodenness

vsstiffness

1 8.2

A stiff, awkward way of speaking or acting that does not feel natural

is caused by embarrassment or discomfort, showing unease in manner

G

gracelessness

vsstiffness

1 7.1

A lack of smooth, polite movement or social behavior

involves embarrassment or discomfort causing poor ease rather than a fixed trait

U

ungainliness

vsstiffness

1 7.7

Lack of grace in movement or posture that looks clumsy

is usually from brief discomfort or embarrassment, not a fixed condition

G

gawkiness

vsstiffness

1 7.4

Clumsy movement or posture that looks uncomfortable

is often caused by sudden unease or embarrassment rather than skill lack

S

stiltedness

vsstiffness

1 8.6

A way of speaking or acting that sounds stiff and unnatural

is more often from embarrassment or unease than formal affectation

W

wooden demeanor

vsstiffness

1 7.6

A stiff, awkward way of acting without showing emotion

is rooted in embarrassment or discomfort rather than lack of feeling

U

ungracefulness

vsstiffness

6.5

A clumsy, awkward way of moving or looking

is often temporary and caused by unease not by permanent inability

Antonyms

E

ease

238 1.0

A state of comfort and freedom from worry

G

gracefulness

1 3.2

A smooth, attractive way of moving like a dancer or swan

How Natural

naturalness

2 3.9

reserve

7 5.2

stiffness

1 4.9

awkwardness

24 4.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology