as in carefully
without any relaxation of standards or precision
strictly speaking, Columbus did not discover America—the people living there had long known about it the rules must be strictly obeyed
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Recent Examples of strictly
Specht may be right, but in his community, some people drive east across the Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge into Grant County strictly for a beer brewed and sold only in Wisconsin.
—
Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
The letter warned that retaliation against those who filed a complaint or participated in the investigation was strictly prohibited and could result in disciplinary action.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
In contrast, 30–40% of mid- and small-cap firms report semiannually, aligning strictly with minimum EU regulatory requirement.
—Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
Through the week, harbor pilots that help captains guide cargo ships into the port have operated strictly under office hours.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Oct. 2025
Apple strictly limits the capabilities apps are allowed to have on its phones.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
While the appearance was strictly billed as an interview — rock band The Format was the episode’s musical guest — the singer and Fallon played tracks off of Showgirl and broke them down.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Chmerkovskiy and Smirnoff reunited in 2013 for Forever Tango, a strictly music and dance Broadway show.
—Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Around 20 small-scale businesses cater to roughly 200 to 250 people, though business is strictly seasonal, despite the year-round mild climate.
—Miquel Ros, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
The letter warned that retaliation against those who filed a complaint or participated in the investigation was strictly prohibited and could result in disciplinary action.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
In contrast, 30–40% of mid- and small-cap firms report semiannually, aligning strictly with minimum EU regulatory requirement.
—Richard Torrenzano, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
Through the week, harbor pilots that help captains guide cargo ships into the port have operated strictly under office hours.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 Oct. 2025
Apple strictly limits the capabilities apps are allowed to have on its phones.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
While the appearance was strictly billed as an interview — rock band The Format was the episode’s musical guest — the singer and Fallon played tracks off of Showgirl and broke them down.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Chmerkovskiy and Smirnoff reunited in 2013 for Forever Tango, a strictly music and dance Broadway show.
—Grace Gavilanes, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Around 20 small-scale businesses cater to roughly 200 to 250 people, though business is strictly seasonal, despite the year-round mild climate.
—Miquel Ros, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictly
Adverb
-
But with a burning desire to walk across the stage with her classmates, Menish sat down at the end of the semester to carefully review her options.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
-
These capsules were then carefully arranged and sealed within the final experiment assembly.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The Personalization System – Continuously adapting your approach based on what's working and what isn't, rather than rigidly following someone else's blueprint.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
27 Aug. 2025
-
One of de l’Horizon’s core motivations in writing this book was to find a form of genuine self-expression in a language that is rigidly gendered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
But in some ways, that’s precisely Milwaukee baseball.—
Sam Settleman,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
That law, called PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act), did precisely what its title proposed.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Because of their history servicing the Navy, the watches are large, ranging from 38 millimeters to 47 millimeters, are rigorously tested to be water-resistant to as much as 500 meters, and are durable.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
9 Oct. 2025
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They are also rigorously tested by the FDA.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strictly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictly. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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