stiffish

S1T1I1F4F4I1S1H4
/ˈstɪfɪʃ/

adjective

Somewhat stiff (all senses).

Scrabble 17
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Meanings

adjectivestiffish (not comparable)
  1. not comparableSomewhat stiff (all senses).

    Even the shabbiest of shore-boats, hired for the shortest time, exacts a stiffish fare.

    1849, Mayne Reid, The Flag of Distress
    3 more examples

    Th' main sewer will have to be brought clean across i' this direction, an' it'll be a stiffish job.

    1862, Edwin Waugh, Home-Life of the Lancashire Factory Folk during the Cotton Famine

    Ahead of us to-night is a stiffish incline and it looks as though there might be pressure behind it.

    1913, Captain R. F. Scott, Scott's Last Expedition Volume I

    Beyond the latter station—reached after traversing the only level mile of track between East Suffolk Junction and Beccles—a stiffish climb leads across heathland to Wickham Market Station, which is actually at Campsea Ashe, 1½ miles from the town of Wickham Market.

    1954 December, D. S. Barrie and B. D. J. Walsh, “Railways of East Suffolk”, in Railway Magazine, page 816

Origin

From stiff + -ish.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Māori mārōrō
  • mārōrōsomewhat stiff
Cite this entry
APA

stiffish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stiffish

MLA

“stiffish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stiffish. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stiffish,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stiffish.

Source: stiffish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.