He took a quick stiffener before walking into the interview.
The old novel has the captain calling for a stiffener.
The wing panel uses aluminum stiffeners to resist buckling.
The old trade directory listed her occupation as stiffener.
A strip of buckram acted as a stiffener inside the hat brim.
Similar words
pick-me-up
millinery worker
shot
support
hat finisher
bracer
rib
sizer
drink
backing
Meanings
Rigid support or insert
noun
engineering
neutral
A support, insert, or treated material added to make a part, fabric, or structure hold a firmer shape.
Examples
The wing panel uses aluminum stiffeners to resist buckling.
A strip of buckram acted as a stiffener inside the hat brim.
The shirt collar has removable stiffeners to keep the points flat.
Steel stiffeners were welded across the girder web.
The cable end includes a plastic stiffener for easier insertion.
Similar words
reinforcement
brace
rib
stay
support
backing
Fortifying alcoholic drink
noun
drinking
slang
A small alcoholic drink taken to steady the nerves, warm the body, or give courage.
Examples
He took a quick stiffener before walking into the interview.
After the cold crossing, the crew shared a stiffener in the pub.
She joked that only a stiffener would calm her nerves.
The old novel has the captain calling for a stiffener.
A small brandy served as a stiffener after the shock.
Similar words
bracer
drink
dram
shot
snifter
pick-me-up
Hat-sizing worker
noun
manufacturing
technical
A worker who applies sizing or another stiffening treatment so hats or similar goods hold their shape.
Examples
The factory stiffener sized each felt hat before it went to trimming.
A skilled stiffener knew how much shellac the brim needed.
The millinery shop employed a stiffener for the final shaping stage.
As a hat stiffener, he worked with steam, sizing, and wooden blocks.
The old trade directory listed her occupation as stiffener.
Similar words
hat sizer
sizer
hat finisher
millinery worker
Etymology
Formed from stiffen plus -er, recorded from the late seventeenth century, with the core idea of something or someone that makes another thing stiff.
FAQ
What does stiffener usually mean?
A stiffener is usually something added to make a structure, fabric, collar, or manufactured part firmer.
What is a stiffener in engineering?
In engineering, a stiffener is a rib, bar, plate, or other reinforcing member that helps a panel, girder, hull, or frame resist bending or buckling.
Can stiffener mean something used in clothing?
Yes. Buckram, interfacing, collar stays, and similar materials can be stiffeners because they help fabric keep a firm shape.
Is a stiffener the same as a thickener?
Not usually. A stiffener makes fabric, a part, or a structure firmer, while a thickener makes a liquid or mixture more viscous.
What is a collar stiffener?
A collar stiffener is a rigid strip, also called a collar stay, that helps a shirt collar lie flat and keep its points in place.
What materials can be stiffeners?
Common stiffeners include metal ribs, plastic strips, buckram, paperboard, interfacing, and structural shapes such as angles or channels.
Does stiffener have a slang meaning?
Yes. In slang, a stiffener can be a small alcoholic drink taken to steady the nerves or give courage.
Is stiffener a person?
Rarely, stiffener can mean a worker who sizes hats or similar goods so they hold a firm shape.
What is the difference between a stiffener and a brace?
A brace is one kind of stiffener when it reinforces a structure, but stiffener also covers inserts, treated fabrics, and other rigidifying materials.
Where does stiffener come from?
Stiffener is formed from stiffen and -er, so its oldest pattern is simply something or someone that stiffens.
Comments & contributions
Know this word from another angle? Add a correction, a nuance, or a usage note. New posts go public after a quick review.
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Humble Reindeer
Jul 3
Never thought about stiffener vs thickener before, but yeah, soup stiffener sounds cursed lol
1
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Opal Plover
Jun 30
i have only met the drink meaning in old novels. if a coworker said he needed a stiffener before a meeting I would think he was doing a period drama bit
1
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Contribution
Bronze Owl
Jun 28
On boat and aircraft repair pages, stiffener often means a rib or stringer bonded/riveted onto a panel so the skin doesnt oil-can. So it is not always a loose insert, sometimes its just part of how the panel is built.
3
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Contribution
Early Plover
Jun 25
Tiny menswear note: US shops tend to call the removable shirt bits collar stays. Collar stiffeners is understood, but stay gets you better search results. In Britain you may also see collar bones.
4
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Contribution
Loyal Hoopoe
Jun 22
sewing/craft split is worth knowing. Pattern instructions usually say interfacing, buckram, boning, horsehair braid, whatever the actual thing is. If you ask for fabric stiffener at a craft shop, you may get the liquid or spray stuff for bowls and doilies, not garment interfacing
6
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Zesty Caribou
Jun 24
yes this confused me at first. for bags I say stabilizer, for a collar I say interfacing, same shelf but not the same request
1
Contribution
Rainy Mouse
Jun 16
In steel drawings stiffener can be narrower than this sounds. If someone says bearing stiffener on an I-beam, they usually mean the vertical plates at a support or point load, not any old brace nearby. Longitudinal vs transverse matters too.