stringent

adjective

strin·​gent ˈstrin-jənt How to pronounce stringent (audio)
1
2
: marked by rigor, strictness, or severity especially with regard to rule or standard
stringent decontamination procedures
3
: marked by money scarcity and credit strictness
a stringent budget
stringently adverb

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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."

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

Examples of stringent in a Sentence

stringent rules against unauthorized persons being in the building
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Wang witnessed how the stringent COVID measures sparked rare protests and the government's eventual change of course in late 2022. Vincent Ni, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025 Even young kids can stumble on these images and videos, especially when something’s trending, or when multiple copies of a video are bombarding the feed, overriding even the most stringent parental controls. Robyn Koslowitz, Parents, 19 Sep. 2025 The convergence of stringent regulatory mandates and legacy infrastructure constraints creates a unique challenge that requires strategic technical program management approaches. Harneet Kalra, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 Many of our policies are more stringent than law. Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stringent

Word History

Etymology

Latin stringent-, stringens, present participle of stringere

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stringent was in 1736

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Cite this Entry

“Stringent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stringent. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

stringent

adjective
strin·​gent ˈstrin-jənt How to pronounce stringent (audio)
1
: tying, drawing, or pressing tight
2
: strict in setting standards or following rules
stringent training
stringently adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on stringent

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