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
But the events that supporters are throwing to back his bid for New York’s 12th congressional seat aren’t strictly political.
—
Andrew Zucker, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
No More), the strictly limited 20-week engagement of Paranormal Activity – A New Story Live on Broadway will begin performances Friday, August 14, at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre ahead of an official opening on Tuesday, September 15.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Simon didn’t focus strictly on categories that did well last quarter.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
While not strictly a sequel, the film is a continuation of sorts to Gray’s last competition entry, the maddeningly under-appreciated 2022 drama Armageddon Time.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The dramatis personae of these children’s books was strictly whites only.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Schumer also vowed Democrats will use other tools to fight the ballroom spending, which the White House says is strictly for security enhancements, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom money from the budget bill.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Last week, the White House sent out a memo to reassure industry allies that submitting new models for federal review would be strictly voluntary.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
The first group of passengers, wearing face masks and head-to-toe personal protective equipment, were kept strictly secluded from members of the public as a small boat brought them ashore.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 10 May 2026
Andrew Zucker, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
No More), the strictly limited 20-week engagement of Paranormal Activity – A New Story Live on Broadway will begin performances Friday, August 14, at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre ahead of an official opening on Tuesday, September 15.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 12 May 2026
Simon didn’t focus strictly on categories that did well last quarter.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
While not strictly a sequel, the film is a continuation of sorts to Gray’s last competition entry, the maddeningly under-appreciated 2022 drama Armageddon Time.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The dramatis personae of these children’s books was strictly whites only.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Schumer also vowed Democrats will use other tools to fight the ballroom spending, which the White House says is strictly for security enhancements, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom money from the budget bill.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
Last week, the White House sent out a memo to reassure industry allies that submitting new models for federal review would be strictly voluntary.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
The first group of passengers, wearing face masks and head-to-toe personal protective equipment, were kept strictly secluded from members of the public as a small boat brought them ashore.
—Phil Helsel, NBC news, 10 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictly
Adverb
-
Lighter, looser and more human, carefully tuned to supporters who value personality as much as performance.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
-
As grieving attendees lined up to pay respects to the children, one woman shut her eyes after peering at one of the children, Kayla, who wore a white dress, her fingernails carefully painted pink.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
Adverb
-
Magyar’s campaign has been rigidly domestic.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adverb
-
Attenborough, more precisely his voice, closed out the night.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
Hantavirus typically spreads through contact with rats and mice—or, more precisely, with their droppings, urine, and saliva.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
8 May 2026
Adverb
-
Our program was rigorously designed by our medical staff using specific clinical criteria derived from claims data.—
Jack Springgate,
CBS News,
7 May 2026
-
That stack is part of a much larger longevity and fitness boom in which vendors sell or promote many different peptide products, often for uses that have not been studied rigorously in people.—
Flynn McGuire,
The Conversation,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strictly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictly. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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