Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to stiffen
Participle: stiffened
Gerund: stiffening
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | stiffen |
| you | stiffen |
| he;she;it | stiffens |
| we | stiffen |
| you | stiffen |
| they | stiffen |
Perfect
| I | have stiffened |
| you | have stiffened |
| he;she;it | has stiffened |
| we | have stiffened |
| you | have stiffened |
| they | have stiffened |
Past
| I | stiffened |
| you | stiffened |
| he;she;it | stiffened |
| we | stiffened |
| you | stiffened |
| they | stiffened |
Pluperfect
| I | had stiffened |
| you | had stiffened |
| he;she;it | had stiffened |
| we | had stiffened |
| you | had stiffened |
| they | had stiffened |
Future
| I | will stiffen |
| you | will stiffen |
| he;she;it | will stiffen |
| we | will stiffen |
| you | will stiffen |
| they | will stiffen |
Future Perfect
| I | will have stiffened |
| you | will have stiffened |
| he;she;it | will have stiffened |
| we | will have stiffened |
| you | will have stiffened |
| they | will have stiffened |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | stiffen |
| you | stiffen |
| he;she;it | stiffen |
| we | stiffen |
| you | stiffen |
| they | stiffen |
Perfect
| I | have stiffened |
| you | have stiffened |
| he;she;it | have stiffened |
| we | have stiffened |
| you | have stiffened |
| they | have stiffened |
Imperfect
| I | stiffened |
| you | stiffened |
| he;she;it | stiffened |
| we | stiffened |
| you | stiffened |
| they | stiffened |
Pluperfect
| I | had stiffened |
| you | had stiffened |
| he;she;it | had stiffened |
| we | had stiffened |
| you | had stiffened |
| they | had stiffened |
Conditional
Present
| I | would stiffen |
| you | would stiffen |
| he;she;it | would stiffen |
| we | would stiffen |
| you | would stiffen |
| they | would stiffen |
Perfect
| I | would have stiffened |
| you | would have stiffened |
| he;she;it | would have stiffened |
| we | would have stiffened |
| you | would have stiffened |
| they | would have stiffened |
Imperative
| you | stiffen |
| we | Let's stiffen |
| you | stiffen |
Verbs conjugated like 'stiffen'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'stiffen'
stiff,
stifle,
stuffe,
tiffin,
unstiffen,
briefen,
coiffe,
differ,
lifen,
niffer,
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
From Middle English stifnen, equivalent to stiff + -en.
Sample Sentences
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As Willis spoke and tried to smile the voices inside him rang together like a bell, stiffening him and hollowing him and emptying him of his troubled song. [1986, Melvin Dixon, “The Boy with Beer”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 33:]
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Criminal prosecutions of abusers are generally the responsibility of local authorities, but the act stiffened sentences for stalking under federal law. [2013 March 7, “President signs Violence Against Women Act”, in CNN:]
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It followed a sequence of functions: a machine cuts cloth panels to be sewn, the panels are drenched with the polymer and stiffened, a robotic arm uses suction cups to lift each panel and position it in a sewing machine. Finally, the robotic arm lifts the stitched T-shirt off the sewing machine. […] The system could work for most fabrics, with the exception of leather and waterproof materials that can't be drenched with the stiffening polymer. […] Zornow has patents pending in 10 countries for the process to stiffen fabric. [2016 October 11, Parija Kavilanz, “This robot makes a T-shirt from start to finish”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 19 Mar 2025:]
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Bewildered by the unexpected greeting, my son stiffened, but managed a polite answer. [2003, Yoko Ogawa, The Housekeeper and the Professor:]
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He does note that fascia, like most connective tissue in the body, stiffens with age, overuse and injury. [2018 November 8, Dr. Melina Jampolis, “The real science behind fascia ailments”, in CNN:]