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

The bill further stacks the legal deck by putting the burden of proof on the state in court, and by ordering judges to review that proof under the strict scrutiny standard, the most stringent bar in constitutional law. — Andrew Graham july 8, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026

But Red Star was also propaganda, which meant that its correspondents—including such towering literary figures as Andrei Platonov and Ilya Ehrenburg—were subject to stringent censorship, unable to denounce the Soviet war effort. — Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 8 July 2026

Wisconsin already has one of the more stringent voter ID systems in the country. — Reid Ribble, Time, 8 July 2026

Regulatory Compliance As privacy and security regulations become more stringent, organizations will need stronger methods for proving access integrity and identity assurance. — Sagar Gupta, Forbes.com, 1 July 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