as in strictly
without any relaxation of standards or precision
the judge stuck rigidly to the letter of the law
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Recent Examples of rigidly
While rigidly matching all your fixtures was once believed to make a bathroom feel sophisticated and seamless, today, designers disagree.
—
Cori Sears, The Spruce, 31 Dec. 2025
The source claims Nick's days are rigidly controlled, his movements limited and his contact with the outside world effectively non-existent.
—Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
Friedland briefly dropped the bit to press Torres on the human toll in Gaza, sometimes to the point of tears; Torres stayed rigidly on-message.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
Under Franco’s dictatorial regime, women’s roles were rigidly controlled by the ideology of National Catholicism, which linked femininity, motherhood and loyalty to the state.
—Zaya Rustamova, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
The clip shows Sydney (@goldengirlsydney) standing rigidly beside the sofa where her owner is sitting and filming.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
New York City is full of remorseless individualists who nonetheless stick to some codes very rigidly.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2025
One of them was to have the right balance between rigidly enforcing rules, while also adapting on set to new issues that pop up.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
In 2001, then-President Bill Clinton brought China into the World Trade Organization to encourage a liberal turn in Beijing, but instead fast-tracked the rise of a rigidly authoritarian economic rival.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Cori Sears, The Spruce, 31 Dec. 2025
The source claims Nick's days are rigidly controlled, his movements limited and his contact with the outside world effectively non-existent.
—Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025
Friedland briefly dropped the bit to press Torres on the human toll in Gaza, sometimes to the point of tears; Torres stayed rigidly on-message.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
Under Franco’s dictatorial regime, women’s roles were rigidly controlled by the ideology of National Catholicism, which linked femininity, motherhood and loyalty to the state.
—Zaya Rustamova, The Conversation, 19 Nov. 2025
The clip shows Sydney (@goldengirlsydney) standing rigidly beside the sofa where her owner is sitting and filming.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
New York City is full of remorseless individualists who nonetheless stick to some codes very rigidly.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2025
One of them was to have the right balance between rigidly enforcing rules, while also adapting on set to new issues that pop up.
—Sara Merican, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
In 2001, then-President Bill Clinton brought China into the World Trade Organization to encourage a liberal turn in Beijing, but instead fast-tracked the rise of a rigidly authoritarian economic rival.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rigidly
Adverb
-
For many retirement savers, the choice isn’t strictly gold or cash.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Access to internal data is strictly controlled, and agents are continuously monitored.—
Forbes.com,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Every detail is carefully considered, right down to the moon-like globe lighting (which we're told is meant to emulate the bulbs surrounding a starlet's dressing room mirrors), and a calming palette of forest greens, powder pinks and deep blues gives the space a classic yet contemporary feel.—
Cassie Doney,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Measure carefully and note the pattern repeat if there is one.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rigidly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rigidly. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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