RAMROD Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

ramrod

adjective

Definition of ramrod

as in strict

given to exacting standards of discipline and self-restraint a ramrod camp director who's been known to send kids home for a minor infraction of the rules

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of ramrod That included tutorials on how to talk to older Black people, to drop some of his ramrod military formality and to be more self-deprecating in the store. — Margaret Coker, ProPublica, 19 Jan. 2023 Nine months later, the parish's electric lines have been replaced by ramrod straight poles. — Rebecca Santana, ajc, 30 May 2021 He was beloved by the British for his no-nonsense air, his ramrod straight Navy-man's posture, and his blunt words laced with a certain old-school humor at events public and private. — Guy Martin, Forbes, 9 Apr. 2021

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ramrod

Adjective

Though South Florida abides by strict statewide building codes to protect against wind and flooding, Lejeune is concerned that no new construction has been tested by destructive storms.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
In the 2026 session, the Legislature passed HB 991, an elections bill that requires strict proof of citizenship to vote and reduces the forms of photo ID that are acceptable at the polls.

— Eric "Doc" Stelnicki, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026

Definition of strict

Adjective

White, when give the chance, has displayed a diverse offensive game, a defensive bent and an ability to make tough shots.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
The stakes for new avatar don’t feel quite as high—the specific circumstances around the former was a perfect storm that'll be tough to duplicate—but the music isn’t any less potent for it.

— Lawrence Burney, Pitchfork, 16 July 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

Still, the dominant message from the hearing was that Maduro’s removal has not, by itself, dismantled the authoritarian system that sustained his rule.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
But in the past 20 years, Cuba’s more progressive social policies have helped to redeem the authoritarian excesses of the revolution’s early years.

— Juan Carlos Albarran, The Conversation, 13 July 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

In Elliott’s Connecticut, the governor would send a busload of stern but compassionate counselors to protect workers hiding in their office where a gunman lurks.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 18 July 2026
Burnham brings a more relaxed style of leadership than the rather stern Starmer, and is regarded as one of the Labour Party’s best communicators.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026

Definition of stern

Adjective

The couple made sure the design included a basement where the kids could spend time, better insulation to handle South Dakota’s harsh weather and plenty of storage — all features their previous home lacked.

— Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Those are some of the harsh conditions that detainees in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody described experiencing in recent weeks at the Federal Detention Center, a Bureau of Prisons facility located in a concrete tower in downtown Miami.

— Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026

Definition of harsh

Adjective

Essentially a rock has met a hard place – at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Remember, all this hard work to discover all these things has been done in the midst of designing a ballroom, cleaning up the reflecting pool and a host of other busy things the president and his administration have been doing.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026

Definition of hard

Adjective

For more than two decades, the duo hauled in more than 4 pounds of clams each morning from the lagoon in the Po River Delta — upending the notion that women were unsuited for such a rigorous job.

— Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Over the summer, kids might not have had to stick to a rigorous morning routine, but that all changes during the school year.

— Parents, Parents, 17 July 2026

Definition of rigorous

Browse Nearby Words

ramp (up)

ramrod

rams

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“Ramrod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ramrod. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of ramrod

adjective

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