1. (

• stiffness

) the physical property of being inflexible and hard to bend ;

2. (

• stiffness ,

) the property of moving with pain or difficulty; "he awoke with a painful stiffness in his neck" ;

3. (

• stiffness ,

) firm resoluteness in purpose or opinion or action; "a charming host without any touch of stiffness or pomposity" ;

4. (

• awkwardness ,
• clumsiness ,
• gracelessness ,
• stiffness ,

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

5. (

• severity ,
• severeness ,
• harshness ,
• rigor ,
• rigour ,
• rigorousness ,
• rigourousness ,
• inclemency ,
• hardness ,
• stiffness ,

) excessive sternness; "severity of character"; "the harshness of his punishment was inhuman"; "the rigors of boot camp" ;