stringent

adjective

strin·​gent ˈstrin-jənt 

1

: tight, constricted

2

: marked by rigor, strictness, or severity especially with regard to rule or standard

stringent decontamination procedures

3

: marked by money scarcity and credit strictness

a stringent budget

stringently adverb

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How Should You Use stringent?

Words that are synonymous with stringent include rigid, which implies uncompromising inflexibility ("rigid rules of conduct"), and rigorous, which suggests hardship and difficulty ("the rigorous training of firefighters"). Also closely related is strict, which emphasizes undeviating conformity to rules, standards, or requirements ("strict enforcement of the law"). Stringent usually involves severe, tight restrictions or limitations ("the college has stringent admissions rules"). That's logical. After all, rigorous and rigid are both derived from rigēre, the Latin word meaning "to be stiff," and stringent and strict developed from the Latin verb stringere, meaning "to bind tight."

Synonyms of stringent

• strict
• rigorous

Choose the Right Synonym for stringent

rigid, rigorous, strict, stringent mean extremely severe or stern.

rigid implies uncompromising inflexibility.

rigid rules of conduct

rigorous implies the imposition of hardship and difficulty.

the rigorous training of recruits

strict emphasizes undeviating conformity to rules, standards, or requirements.

strict enforcement of the law

stringent suggests severe, tight restriction or limitation.

stringent standards of admission

Examples of stringent in a Sentence

stringent rules against unauthorized persons being in the building

Recent Examples on the Web

These include completing stringent testing and safety requirements and submitting a plan for interacting with first responders. — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 19 Aug. 2026

European sides will still have to comply with UEFA’s more stringent rules, which broadly mirror both SCR’s spending cap and PSR’s three-year rolling assessment period, but the faster implementation of sanctions makes the regulations seem fairer. — George Edwards, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Anthropic uses fear of AI’s risks to persuade the government to enact stringent regulation on the technology that only Anthropic can easily comply with, eliminating competition from other AI startups or open-source models. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

The nation has recently enacted some of the region's most stringent technology restrictions, enforcing strict device controls in schools alongside a sweeping ban on high-risk digital platforms for those under 16. — Erin Mote, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin stringent-, stringens, present participle of stringere

First Known Use

1736, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stringent

• astringent
• contingent
• birefringent

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Kids Definition

stringent

adjective

strin·​gent ˈstrin-jənt 

1

: tying, drawing, or pressing tight

2

: strict in setting standards or following rules

stringent training

stringently adverb