stiffly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Stiffly formal in their stunning uniforms, the officers occupy a French chateau, drive in sleek Mercedes convertibles, drink brandy, and savor Verlaine’s poetry, which the Allies use in coded radio messages.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 6, 2014

Stiffly attentive in their chairs, trying to look properly interested in the proceedings, the actors only reinforces the impression that what we are witnessing is less a drama than an animated science seminar.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2011

Stiffly held shoulders or too much shoulder, torquing the body with an exaggerated sway.”

From New York Times • Feb. 14, 2011

Stiffly the Foreign Office reported that the Berlin Embassy had just obtained an agreement under which the Reichsbank would pass payments due on British goods imported into Germany after Aug. 20, 1934.

From Time Magazine Archive

Stiffly, like a stranger, Sanders moved across the hootch and lay down with a magazine and pretended to read.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien