Definition of STRINGENT

Choose the Right Synonym for stringent

rigid, rigorous, strict, stringent mean extremely severe or stern. rigid implies uncompromising inflexibility. rigid rules of conduct rigorous implies the imposition of hardship and difficulty. the rigorous training of recruits strict emphasizes undeviating conformity to rules, standards, or requirements. strict enforcement of the law stringent suggests severe, tight restriction or limitation. stringent standards of admission

How Should You Use stringent?

Words that are synonymous with stringent include rigid, which implies uncompromising inflexibility ("rigid rules of conduct"), and rigorous, which suggests hardship and difficulty ("the rigorous training of firefighters"). Also closely related is strict, which emphasizes undeviating conformity to rules, standards, or requirements ("strict enforcement of the law"). Stringent usually involves severe, tight restrictions or limitations ("the college has stringent admissions rules"). That's logical. After all, rigorous and rigid are both derived from rigēre, the Latin word meaning "to be stiff," and stringent and strict developed from the Latin verb stringere, meaning "to bind tight."

Examples of stringent in a Sentence

stringent rules against unauthorized persons being in the building “You’d need top grades for that,” said professor McGonagall, extracting a small, dark leaflet from under the mass on her desk and opening it. “They ask for a minimum of five N.E.W.T.s, and nothing under ‘Exceeds Expectations’ grade, I see. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. It’s a difficult career path, Potter; they only take the best. In fact, I don’t think anybody has been taken on in the last three years.” —“Career Advice” P. 662, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, J. K. Rowling, Scholastic Press, Scholastic Inc., ©2003 Waugh was by then an established novelist, known for such stringent satires as Vile Bodies, Black Mischief, and his other work of the 1930s, and for Brideshead Revisited—all of which are far better known in the United States than Sword of Honour, his masterpiece. —"Books & Critics" P. 128, Penelope Lively, THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY Vol. 287 No. 2, February 2001 Throughout Canada and the United States, a beneficiary who is convicted in a criminal court proceeding of intentionally murdering the insured is disqualified from receiving life insurance policy proceeds. In many states and throughout Canada, a beneficiary who is convicted of a lesser offense––such as manslaughter––is also disqualified from receiving policy proceeds. Laws in Quebec are even more stringent; a beneficiary who attempts to kills the insured––even if that attempt is unsuccessful––is prohibited from receiving life insurance policy proceeds. —"Chapter Fourteen" P. 276, PRINCIPLES OF INSURANCE: LIFE, HEALTH, AND ANNUITIES, Harriett E. Jones, JD, FLMI, ACS et al., LOMA 1996 Ellison argued in his essay “What America Would Be Like Without Blacks” that blacks, constitutive of Americanness rather than candidates for it, are the moral center of America’s complex hybrid culture. They push democratic culture toward fruition, with the most obvious test being “the inclusion—not assimilation—of the black man.” America “could not survive being deprived of their presence because, by the irony implicit in the dynamics of American democracy, they symbolize both its most stringent testing and the possibility of its greatest human freedom,” he wrote. Toni Morrison’s best-selling book of essays, Playing in the Dark, can be read as an extended meditation on Ellison’s belief in the centrality of African-Americans for American literature. “The presence of black people is inherent, along with gender and family ties, in the earliest lesson every child is taught regarding his or her distinctiveness,” she writes. “Africanism is inextricable from the definition of Americanness.” Ellison wrote, “Whatever else the true American is, he is also somehow black.” —“The New Intellectuals” P. 67, Robert S. Boynton, THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY Vol. 275 No. 3, March 1995

Recent Examples on the Web

Another potential explanation for this progress are the increasingly stringent safety standards on the devices (established as voluntary in 1986, strengthened in 1997, and made mandatory in 2010. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Baby Walkers Cause Thousands of ER Visits Every Year, Experts Warn," 26 Sep. 2018 But a world with much more stringent CO2 emissions restrictions seems far off at the moment. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Mapping what it would take for a renaissance for nuclear energy," 7 Sep. 2018 While expanding Cfius would most likely curb Chinese investment, the White House had drafted an executive order that would have put more stringent investment restrictions into effect, according to people familiar with the plans. — New York Times, "Trump Backs Softer Restrictions on Chinese Investment," 27 June 2018 In Europe, lawmakers recently imposed stringent new restrictions on what kind of information technology companies can gather on people without their affirmative consent. — Maya Kosoff, The Hive, "New Jersey Welcomes a New Surveillance State," 11 June 2018 The White House has been pursuing a deal to sell nuclear reactors to Riyadh despite the kingdom's reluctance to accept stringent restrictions against nuclear proliferation, including uranium enrichment. — Nicole Gaouette, CNN, "Saudi Arabia set to pursue nuclear weapons if Iran restarts program," 9 May 2018 And because Chicago had very stringent residential restrictions, people lived together. — Steve Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "New blues exhibit at Chicago History Museum lets you play 12-bar blues and invent your own album title," 5 Apr. 2018 The incident underscores concerns about the White House’s handling of its communications technology, which security experts have criticized for not being stringent enough. — Kevin Kelleher, Fortune, "'Stuttering John' Prank Call to Trump May Be Funny, but the White House's Lax Communications Security Is Not," 29 June 2018 On Monday, Governor John Hickenlooper ordered his state’s Department of Public Health and Environment to establish a Low Emission Vehicle program that goes beyond the federal standards to align with the Golden State’s more stringent rules. — Alex Davies, WIRED, "Colorado Joins California In the Fight for Cleaner Cars," 21 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stringent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.