stricture

noun

stric·​ture ˈstrik-chər 

1

a

: an abnormal narrowing of a bodily passage

also : the narrowed part

b

: a constriction of the breath passage in the production of a speech sound

2

: something that closely restrains or limits : restriction

moral strictures

3

: an adverse criticism : censure

Did you know?

Stricture has meant many things through the centuries, and its "restriction" meaning—probably the most common one today—is actually the most recent. High-school teachers often put strictures on texting during class. Cities concerned about their murder rate have slapped strictures on the possession of handguns. And the United Nations may vote to put strictures on arms sales to a country that keeps violating international treaties. With the meaning "strong criticism", stricture is slightly old-fashioned today, but it's still used by intellectuals. So, for example, an article may amount to a harsh stricture on the whole medical profession, or an art review may just express the critic's strictures on sentimental paintings of cute little houses with glowing windows.

Synonyms

• censure
• commination
• condemnation
• denunciation
• excoriation
• objurgation
• rebuke
• reprimand
• reproach
• reproof
• riot act

Examples of stricture in a Sentence

the church's strictures on the morals and mores of contemporary society

the new zoning strictures effectively make further development along the riverfront commercially unviable

Recent Examples on the Web

This set should thrill fans of natural wine and fuel many a vinous debate over the nature of terroir and the strictures of convention. —Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023

Who but a child would accept the strictures of life with Elvis? —Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023

In tart scenes poking at doctor consultations, psychiatric sessions and legal snafus — the institutional hoops where binary, normative strictures are most assertive — Preciado dexterously implies these gauntlets push life’s fictions. —Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023

Graham no longer has to work according to the strictures and demands of an individual team. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2023

Xu won China’s top economics prize in 2013, and four years later left his post at Tsinghua University, where a climate of ideological stricture has set in. —Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

Though the Honor Code’s strictures may not change how LGBTQ students are disciplined at BYU, in practice, Telford is concerned the change could increase isolation. —The Salt Lake Tribune, 30 Aug. 2023

Manet’s refusal to play along with the strictures of academic art matches his refusal to cater to France’s bourgeois fantasies. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2023

For its part, U.K. regulators are mulling an overhaul to the rules governing stock listings, easing the strictures in a way that could attract more companies to the financial hub. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin strictura, from Latin strictus, past participle

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

stricture

noun

stric·​ture ˈstrik-chər 

1

: an abnormal narrowing of a bodily passage

also : the narrowed part

2

: a negative criticism : censure

Medical Definition

stricture

noun

stric·​ture ˈstrik-chər 

: an abnormal narrowing of a bodily passage (as from inflammation, cancer, or the formation of scar tissue)

esophageal stricture

also : the narrowed part