What does "stiffener" mean?

Anything added to something in order to stiffen it, such as a support beam, or starch for a collar.

What is a synonym for "stiffener"?

Common synonyms include: advocate, arm, back, backbone, backing, bandeau.

noun, slang

noun, slang ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level

Noun

1
Anything added to something in order to stiffen it, such as a support beam, or starch for a collar.
"[…] he wears a wisp of black silk round his neck, without any stiffener, as an apology for a neckerchief […]"
2
a member attached to a beam web to prevent loss of strength due to web buckling. wordnet
3
One of a series of angle bars, Z-bars, beams, rods, or other shapes, attached in order to provide them the necessary stiffness or rigidity.
4
material used for stiffening something wordnet
5
An alcoholic drink taken to fortify oneself. slang
"I believe the old man has taken himself off to the nearest bar for a stiffener."

"[…] he wears a wisp of black silk round his neck, without any stiffener, as an apology for a neckerchief […]"

From stiffen + -er.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.