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
Travelers to Thailand are being reminded that electronic cigarettes are strictly banned in the country — with violators facing steep fines or even prison time.
—
Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Fragrance launches used to be a strictly celebrity venture in the early aughts—but in 2026, everyone is getting into the scent game.
—Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 6 Apr. 2026
This is strictly a voice-command system for the TV, and only the TV.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The one-square-mile municipality with no stores, no city hall, no bars and one church was struck down in a special election held strictly by the book.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Fewer than 10 percent of those who have ever worn a major league uniform have done it, and Buxton is just the 14th player to reach the mark strictly with the Twins, joining players like Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett and former teammates Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
Livestock numbers are strictly controlled on Tristan, and the community manages the herd by occasionally slaughtering animals for meat and leather.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
The United Kingdom, by contrast, strictly regulates fertility centers.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
And although both sides celebrate their free-thinking iconoclasm, loyalty is strictly enforced.
—Robert Lynch, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Fragrance launches used to be a strictly celebrity venture in the early aughts—but in 2026, everyone is getting into the scent game.
—Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 6 Apr. 2026
This is strictly a voice-command system for the TV, and only the TV.
—Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The one-square-mile municipality with no stores, no city hall, no bars and one church was struck down in a special election held strictly by the book.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Fewer than 10 percent of those who have ever worn a major league uniform have done it, and Buxton is just the 14th player to reach the mark strictly with the Twins, joining players like Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett and former teammates Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
Livestock numbers are strictly controlled on Tristan, and the community manages the herd by occasionally slaughtering animals for meat and leather.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
The United Kingdom, by contrast, strictly regulates fertility centers.
—Elizabeth Chuck, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
And although both sides celebrate their free-thinking iconoclasm, loyalty is strictly enforced.
—Robert Lynch, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictly
Adverb
-
Galante recognizes that his design decisions are being carefully watched and scrutinized by the Jeep community; his predecessor, Mark Allen, was a legend.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
And the people should look very carefully at every single candidate.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
12 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Now, when a ball-strike call is challenged, the strike zone will be rigidly defined based on a batter’s height.—
Juliette Arcodia,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Handling has been sharpened by rigidly mounting the rear subframe and reworking the Bilstein dampers.—
Basem Wasef,
Robb Report,
25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The technology allows interventional radiologists to more precisely treat patient’s medical conditions, potentially reducing their radiation exposure and the physical strain of standing over a patient for hours.—
Roni Robbins,
AJC.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
That dynamic is precisely why gold has long been viewed as an inflation hedge.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires that agencies rigorously evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives for a project that may be safer, cheaper and more environmentally sound.—
Charles Rilli,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Agnes and her friends aren’t permitted to read or write, yet they have been rigorously tutored by Aunt Lydia and the other aunts.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strictly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictly. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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