stricture
Americannoun
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a remark or comment, especially an adverse criticism.
The reviewer made several strictures upon the author's style.
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an abnormal contraction of any passage or duct of the body.
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Phonetics. a constriction of airflow in the vocal tract in the production of speech.
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a restriction.
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Archaic. the act of enclosing or binding tightly.
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Obsolete. strictness.
noun
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a severe criticism; censure
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pathol an abnormal constriction of a tubular organ, structure, or part
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obsolete severity
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stricture
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin strictūra tightening, equivalent to Latin strict ( us ) ( see strict) + -ūra -ure
Explanation
One meaning of stricture is a nasty criticism, while the other is a sharp contraction of a tube or canal in the body. Either meaning can mean great pain to the person experiencing the stricture. The noun stricture finds its roots in the Late Latin word strictūra, which came from the stem stringere, "to draw tightly." You might remember that meaning by its relationship with the word constrict, meaning "to tighten or draw in." The additional meaning, that of “a critical remark,” is often used in the plural form — like "the critical strictures against cheating."
Vocabulary lists containing stricture
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company maintains it had systemwide stricture against hiring minors.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 23, 2023
Yet almost three years later, the site still hosts numerous listings that appear to violate this stricture.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2022
Cybersecurity experts say the “don’t work in .ru” stricture, a reference to Russia’s national domain suffix, has become de rigueur in the Russian-speaking hacking community, to avoid entanglements with Russian law enforcement.
From New York Times • May 29, 2021
No such stricture applies to members of the House.
From Salon • Mar. 12, 2021
I thrilled to that truth too sweet to be believed: that as I entered the Army, I should be freed in the eyes of the law—no stricture should bind me, no paper should hold me.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
