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

California, which has a waiver under a federal law to set its own rules, has historically pushed for more stringent emissions regulations. — Alex Leary, WSJ, "Trump Administration Cuts Off Talks With California Over Fuel-Efficiency Standards," 21 Feb. 2019 The commission lost a potentially important appeals-court ruling this month that could undercut its power to require companies to adopt more stringent data protections. — Brent Kendall, WSJ, "FTC’s New Chief Pledges Vigorous Antitrust Enforcement," 20 June 2018 Spokesmen for the two interest groups called the reforms a good first step but want to see more stringent protections. — Ron Hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Will new federal rules slow PACE of energy-efficiency storm-hardening home upgrade program?," 13 June 2018 Although gun sales rose consistently during the Obama years, most of these sales were to existing owners, reacting to his appeals for more stringent laws after several mass shootings during his time in the White House. — David Brennan, Newsweek, "Trump Gun Slump: Sales Plummet as Americans Don't Buy Gun Control Threats," 2 Mar. 2018 Gun sales spike on the election of candidates who are perceived to be more likely to pursue more stringent gun control laws, whether there is any truth in that perception. — Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, "Beleaguered gun maker Remington seeks path to bankruptcy court," 12 Feb. 2018 However, there is political support for more stringent environmental rules after a number of coal companies filed for bankruptcy in recent years. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "As coal stalls, Wyoming considers new environmental clean-up rules," 20 Sep. 2018 City officials said policymakers had been working with some community groups to come up with even more tweaks to keep developers building affordable apartments in hot areas, and more stringent rules are imminent. — Jeff Coen, chicagotribune.com, "Key component of Emanuel affordable housing plan falls short," 22 June 2018 In ICE’s case, the agency seems to have adjusted the risk assessment algorithm to reflect a more stringent immigration policy. — Chris Welch, The Verge, "NYCLU sues ICE over changes to immigrant risk assessment algorithm," 12 Dec. 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.