Nearby Words
adjective
1.
not soft or yielding when pressed; comparatively solid, hard, stiff, or rigid: firm ground; firm texture.
2.
securely fixed in place.
3.
not shaking or trembling; steady: a firm voice.
4.
not likely to change; fixed; settled; unalterable: a firm belief.
5.
EXPANDsteadfast or unwavering, as persons or principles: firm friends.
6.
indicating firmness or determination: a firm expression.
7.
COLLAPSEnot fluctuating much or falling, as prices, values, etc.: The stock market was firm today.
verb (used with object)
8.
to make firm; tighten or strengthen (sometimes followed by up): to firm up one's hold on something.
9.
to steady or fix (sometimes followed by up): to firm up prices.
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Firmness
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
verb (used without object)
10.
to become firm or fixed (sometimes followed by up): Butter firms by churning.
11.
(of prices, markets, etc.) to recover; become stronger, as after a decline (sometimes followed by up): Stock prices firmed again today.
adverb
12.
firmly: He stood firm.
Origin:
1300–50; < Latin firmus; replacing Middle English ferm < Middle French < Latin
1300–50; < Latin firmus; replacing Middle English ferm < Middle French < Latin
Related forms
firm·ly, adverb
firm·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. Firm, hard, solid, stiff are applied to substances that tend to retain their form unaltered in spite of pressure or force. Firm often implies that something has been brought from a yielding state to a fixed or elastic one: An increased amount of pectin makes jellies firm. Hard is applied to substances so resistant that it is difficult to make any impression upon their surface or to penetrate their interior: as hard as a stone. Solid is applied to substances that without external support retain their form and resist pressure: Water in the form of ice is solid. It sometimes denotes the opposite of hollow: a solid block of marble. Stiff implies rigidity that resists a bending force: as stiff as a poker. 2. fast, stable, immovable. 4. established, confirmed. 5. determined, immovable, staunch, reliable.
1. Firm, hard, solid, stiff are applied to substances that tend to retain their form unaltered in spite of pressure or force. Firm often implies that something has been brought from a yielding state to a fixed or elastic one: An increased amount of pectin makes jellies firm. Hard is applied to substances so resistant that it is difficult to make any impression upon their surface or to penetrate their interior: as hard as a stone. Solid is applied to substances that without external support retain their form and resist pressure: Water in the form of ice is solid. It sometimes denotes the opposite of hollow: a solid block of marble. Stiff implies rigidity that resists a bending force: as stiff as a poker. 2. fast, stable, immovable. 4. established, confirmed. 5. determined, immovable, staunch, reliable.
Antonyms
1. yielding, soft.
1. yielding, soft.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To firmness
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
firm
c.1300, fermen "make firm, establish," from O.Fr. fermer, from L. firmare, from
firmus (see firm (adj.)). Related: Firmed; firming.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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