stricture

American  

[strik-cher] / ˈstrɪk tʃər /

noun

1. a remark or comment, especially an adverse criticism.

   The reviewer made several strictures upon the author's style.

2. an abnormal contraction of any passage or duct of the body.

3. Phonetics. a constriction of airflow in the vocal tract in the production of speech.

4. a restriction.

5. Archaic. the act of enclosing or binding tightly.

6. Obsolete. strictness.

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stricture British  

/ ˈstrɪktʃə /

noun

1. a severe criticism; censure

2. pathol an abnormal constriction of a tubular organ, structure, or part

3. obsolete severity

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Other Word Forms

• nonstrictured adjective
• strictured adjective

Etymology

Origin of stricture

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin strictūra tightening, equivalent to Latin strict ( us ) ( strict ) + -ūra -ure

Example Sentences

Repeating a theme, McMahon said it would be her intention to follow the law, which includes the Constitution’s stricture that Congress controls the purse strings.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2025

The company maintains it had systemwide stricture against hiring minors.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 23, 2023

Doctors performed an X-ray, found a stricture — a narrowing of the intestinal tract — and airlifted her to a hospital in Honolulu that was equipped to perform surgery.

From Washington Post • May 6, 2022

If the symptoms are bad enough, doctors may order a colonoscopy that would identify the stricture.

From New York Times • Jul. 5, 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

Related Words

• restraint