stringency

noun

strin·​gen·​cy ˈstrin-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce stringency (audio)
plural stringencies
: the quality or state of being stringent

Examples of stringency in a Sentence

some people objected to the stringency of the new regulations regarding the alteration of building exteriors in the historic district
Recent Examples on the Web The unprecedented stringency of the EU and U.S. economic sanctions on Russia is emblematic of this newfound Western unity. Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2022 This monetary stringency will exact a price: The Fed sees economic growth of just 0.5% next year, down sharply from September’s 1.2% projection and consistent with a recession. Greg Ip, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2022 But while more and more cities are imposing lockdowns — Taiyuan, the hub of China’s coal industry, joined the list on Thursday — the stringency of municipal lockdowns has weakened a little lately. New York Times, 17 Apr. 2022 Others such as Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett have carried the flame of its arguments forward on the Supreme Court since Scalia’s death, sometimes (in the case of Thomas) with more stringency than Scalia himself. Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 23 Mar. 2022 More specifically, stringency index studies find that lockdowns in Europe and the United States only reduced COVID-19 mortality by 0.2% on average. James Freeman, WSJ, 2 Feb. 2022 The additional stringency associated with this highest tier of approval can easily add several years and tens of millions of dollars to a project’s schedule and budget. David W. Brown, Scientific American, 27 Jan. 2022 An analysis that includes data through early June 2021 finds that lockdown stringency is strongly associated with fewer deaths after controlling for a few other factors. WSJ, 29 Dec. 2021 This stringency, which the narrator shares with her creator, is also one of Davis’s defining features as a translator. Elaine Blair, The New York Review of Books, 29 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stringency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stringency was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near stringency

Cite this Entry

“Stringency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stringency. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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