Stiff vs Keen - What's the difference?
stiff | keen | Related terms |
Of an object, rigid, hard to bend, inflexible.
*
*:“A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff , retroussé moustache.
(lb) Of policies and rules and their application and enforcement, inflexible.
Of a person, formal in behavior, unrelaxed.
(lb) Harsh, severe.
:
Of muscles, or parts of the body, painful, as a result of excessive, or unaccustomed exercise.
:
Potent.
:
Dead, deceased.
Of a penis, erect.
An average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working stiff''''' or ''lucky '''stiff .
A person who is deceived, as a mark or pigeon in a swindle.
(slang) A cadaver, a dead person.
(US) A person who leaves (especially a restaurant) without paying the bill.
Any hard hand where it is possible to exceed 21 by drawing an additional card.
To fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily.
* 1946 , William Foote Whyte, Industry and Society , page 129
* 1992 , Stephen Birmingham, Shades of Fortune , page 451
* 2007 , Mary Higgins Clark, I Heard That Song Before , page 154
showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense.
vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.
* (rfdate),
* (rfdate), Shakespeare
sharp; having a fine edge or point.
* (rfdate) :
acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness.
* (rfdate),
* (rfdate),
bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.
* (rfdate)
piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
* (rfdate),
Enthusiastic
(US, informal, dated) Marvelous.
(UK) extremely low as to be competitive.
(obsolete) brave, courageous; bold, audacious.
(rare) To sharpen; to make cold.
* (rfdate), Thomson.
To utter a keen.
* (rfdate) Stuart Howard-Jones (1904-1974), Hibernia.'' Collected in ''The New Oxford Book of English Light Verse, 1978.
To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
*
To mourn.
*
Stiff is a related term of keen.
As adjectives the difference between stiff and keen
is that stiff is of an object, rigid, hard to bend, inflexible while keen is showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense.As nouns the difference between stiff and keen
is that stiff is an average person, usually male, of no particular distinction, skill, or education, often a working stiff''''' or ''lucky '''stiff while keen is a prolonged wail for a deceased person.As verbs the difference between stiff and keen
is that stiff is to fail to pay that which one owes (implicitly or explicitly) to another, especially by departing hastily while keen is (rare) to sharpen; to make cold or keen can be to utter a keen.stiff
English
Adjective
(er)Quotations
* (English Citations of "stiff")Derived terms
* stiffyNoun
(en noun)- A Working Stiff' s Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember was published in 2003.
- She convinced the stiff to go to her hotel room, where her henchman was waiting to rob him.
See also
* bindlestiff * See also ,Verb
(en verb)- Realizing he had forgotten his wallet, he stiffed the taxi driver when the cab stopped for a red light.
- We asked one girl to explain how she felt when she was "stiffed ." She said, You think of all the work you've done and how you've tried to please [them…].
- You see, poor Nonie really was stiffed' by Adolph in his will. He really ' stiffed her , Rose, and I really wanted to right that wrong.
- Then he stiffed the waiter with a cheap tip.
Anagrams
*keen
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) . More at (l), (l).Alternative forms
* keene, kene (archaic)Adjective
(er)- Of full keen will.
- So keen and greedy to confound a man.
- That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.
- To make our wits more keen .
- Before the keen inquiry of her thought.
- Good father cardinal, cry thou amen to my keen curses.
- Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.
- I'm keen to learn another language.
- I'm keen on learning another language.
- I'm keen on languages.
- I'm keen about learning languages.
- I'm keen for help.
- ''"Do you want to learn another language?" / "I'm keen ."
- I just got this peachy keen new dress.
- keen prices
Usage notes
* Keen is often used in the composition of words, most of which are of obvious signification; as, keen-edged, keen-eyed, keen-sighted, keen-witted, etc.Synonyms
* prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting; penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical; piercing; shrewd. * See alsoDerived terms
* keen-witted * keen as mustard * keen on * keenly * keennessVerb
(en verb)- Cold winter keens the brightening flood.
Etymology 2
From (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- Keen —meaning 'brisk'? Nay, here the Language warps:
'Tis singing bawdy Ballads to a Corpse.