in the strict/strictest sense (of the word)

phrase

—used to refer to using the correct or precise meaning of a word

He's not a volunteer in the strict/strictest sense (of the word) because he receives a small stipend.

Examples of in the strict/strictest sense (of the word) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Maybe not in the strict sense of everything being entirely germane to the core story. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 13 Jan. 2026

These aren't custodial accounts in the strict sense but can be set up with a custodian. — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2025

And for the most part, the assists credited to goalkeepers aren’t deliberate, in the strictest sense of the word — or at least in the same way a winger squaring a low cross for a striker to score into an open goal is. — Nick Miller, The Athletic, 6 Feb. 2025

The regulatory scheme at issue may not be a prior restraint in the strict sense. — Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 24 Jan. 2025

Even shows that were not documentary productions in the strict sense gestured toward the conventions of that kind of work. — Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 25 July 2024