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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of strictly
Taking photos inside the exhibition is strictly forbidden.
—
Will Ripley, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Truth is, a strictly nocturnal buck can be almost impossible to kill.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
The strictly limited engagement runs through May 24.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Both men have said, again and again, that the vibes are strictly platonic.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Although not strictly a horror movie — its tone is more comparable to an erotic thriller like 1987's Fatal Attraction — this 1960 feature is a milestone of genre cinema and Korean movies as a whole.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Rossi protested his innocence and claimed he was punished so strictly because of his prominent role in Italian football, to make an example.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
While Howard’s vision has remained steadfast, the strictly brick-and-mortar store has embraced social media to a degree.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
This is just one example of a larger problem—public markets no longer strictly seek the highest and best use of capital.
—Mike Terwilliger, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Will Ripley, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Truth is, a strictly nocturnal buck can be almost impossible to kill.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
The strictly limited engagement runs through May 24.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
Both men have said, again and again, that the vibes are strictly platonic.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2025
Although not strictly a horror movie — its tone is more comparable to an erotic thriller like 1987's Fatal Attraction — this 1960 feature is a milestone of genre cinema and Korean movies as a whole.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Rossi protested his innocence and claimed he was punished so strictly because of his prominent role in Italian football, to make an example.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
While Howard’s vision has remained steadfast, the strictly brick-and-mortar store has embraced social media to a degree.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
This is just one example of a larger problem—public markets no longer strictly seek the highest and best use of capital.
—Mike Terwilliger, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictly
Adverb
-
Always read the bag carefully to be sure.—
Endia Fontanez,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Every bolt, every line of code, every system had to be validated and tested carefully, or the shuttle would never leave the launchpad.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
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
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The setlist for the reunion tour to date has been rigidly predictable, with the group performing the same 23 songs, in the same order, at all the shows to date.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
9 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The only real precedent is Johnson, whose performance for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series matches Yamamoto’s almost precisely.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Hollywood studio productions are extremely strict about schedules — everything runs precisely on time.—
Gavin J Blair,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
This new perspective allowed mathematicians to rigorously explore higher-dimensional spaces — leading to the birth of modern topology, a field dedicated to the study of mathematical spaces like manifolds.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Flu vaccines are safe Flu vaccines and their ingredients are rigorously tested and found to be very safe.—
Liz Szabo,
NBC news,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strictly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictly. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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