STIFFENING

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does stiffening mean? 

• STIFFENING (noun)
  The noun STIFFENING has 2 senses:

1. the act of becoming stiff

2. the process of becoming stiff or rigid

  Familiarity information: STIFFENING used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STIFFENING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of becoming stiff

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

stiffening his shoulders, he prepared to advance

Hypernyms ("stiffening" is a kind of...):

procedure; process (a particular course of action intended to achieve a result)

Derivation:

stiffen (become stiff or stiffer)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The process of becoming stiff or rigid

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

rigidification; rigidifying; stiffening

Hypernyms ("stiffening" is a kind of...):

action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "stiffening"):

rigor mortis (muscular stiffening that begins 2 to 4 hours after death and lasts for about 4 days)

Derivation:

stiffen (make stiff or stiffer)

 Context examples 

Forgotten, save once, when old One Eye stopped for a moment to lick his stiffening wounds.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

“Fair westerly breeze, with a promise of stiffening, if Louis predicts correctly.”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A multi-disciplinary research team studied young and old rat brains to understand the impact of age-related brain stiffening on the function of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs).

(Cambridge scientists reverse ageing process in rat brain stem cells, University of Cambridge)

There is no current treatment for hardening of the arteries, which is caused by build-up of bone-like calcium deposits, stiffening the arteries and restricting blood flow to organs and tissues.

(Cause of hardening of the arteries – and potential treatment – identified, University of Cambridge)

She writhed into some new posture constantly: stiffening her arms, twisting them before her face, as though to shut out from her eyes the little light there was, and drooping her head, as if it were heavy with insupportable recollections.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

But the fatal blow never fell, for even as his arm quivered before descending, the Spaniard gave a shudder, and stiffening himself rolled heavily over upon his side, with the blood gushing from his armpit and from the slit of his vizor.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

This study shows the same is true in our brains, and that age-related brain stiffening has a significant impact on the function of brain stem cells.

(Cambridge scientists reverse ageing process in rat brain stem cells, University of Cambridge)