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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 strictly
The Russian embassy in Denmark told Newsweek in a statement that its navy strictly complies with maritime law and that Danish authorities had not informed Russia of any recent incidents.
—
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
And its top models—like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner—are keeping their off-duty fashions strictly in summer mode.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
For a long time, the NCAA strictly denied the eligibility of athletes who previously earned compensation in their sport.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2025
An elderly Joseph is chosen by lot to be her husband, in a strictly caretaker role.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Marching army ants strictly following a pheromone trail to carry heavier loads are another known example.
—Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2025
However, this species of fig is strictly dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
Regarding whether inmates are being moved far away from family members in the Twin Cities area, Schnell said Thursday that the DOC does not place inmates strictly based on the family factor.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Shehadeh said the city should consider alternative colors, such as America’s red, white and blue, instead of just white and blue, which may cause people to associate it strictly with Israel.
—Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
And its top models—like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner—are keeping their off-duty fashions strictly in summer mode.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
For a long time, the NCAA strictly denied the eligibility of athletes who previously earned compensation in their sport.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2025
An elderly Joseph is chosen by lot to be her husband, in a strictly caretaker role.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Marching army ants strictly following a pheromone trail to carry heavier loads are another known example.
—Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2025
However, this species of fig is strictly dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
Regarding whether inmates are being moved far away from family members in the Twin Cities area, Schnell said Thursday that the DOC does not place inmates strictly based on the family factor.
—Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Shehadeh said the city should consider alternative colors, such as America’s red, white and blue, instead of just white and blue, which may cause people to associate it strictly with Israel.
—Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictly
Adverb
-
Footwear News’ global network of editors has carefully curated all product selections featured using our expansive brand knowledge and thorough research to find quality, long-lasting items.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
3 Oct. 2025
-
But, in doing so, Krepon plans to carefully plan which SKUs should be headed Amazon’s way, in part because of the cost of doing business with the e-tail behemoth.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The Personalization System – Continuously adapting your approach based on what's working and what isn't, rather than rigidly following someone else's blueprint.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
27 Aug. 2025
-
One of de l’Horizon’s core motivations in writing this book was to find a form of genuine self-expression in a language that is rigidly gendered.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
That is precisely what this Million Dollar Lasagna manages to be.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Renowned anthropologist Louis Leakey chose Goodall to do this work precisely because she was not formally trained.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
They are also rigorously tested by the FDA.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Few directors so consistently give the impression that their cameras have dropped in on real life, or so rigorously avoid the artificial sense of closure and comfort that most Hollywood movies provide.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Strictly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictly. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share