stringent
Americanadjective
-
rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe.
stringent laws.
- Synonyms:
- restrictive
- Antonyms:
- flexible
-
compelling, constraining, or urgent.
stringent necessity.
-
convincing or forcible.
stringent arguments.
-
(of the money market) characterized by a shortage in money for loan or investment purposes; tight.
adjective
-
requiring strict attention to rules, procedure, detail, etc
-
finance characterized by or causing a shortage of credit, loan capital, etc
Synonym Usage
See strict.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stringent
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin stringent- (stem of stringēns ), present participle of stringere “to draw tight”; see -ent
Explanation
That teacher's demands are stringent — she wants the homework typed in her favorite font, on special paper, and each essay must be exactly 45 lines! While the word stringent might seem foreign, if you're afflicted with pimples, you'll know the word astringent. An astringent causes your skin to tighten like it's shrinking your pores. This tightening, constricting feel describes stringent with regard to rules. Stringent safety procedures prevent accidents in a dangerous work environment. And restaurants must adhere to stringent health regulations.
Vocabulary lists containing stringent
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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Wonder
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Vocabulary from the Third and Final Presidential Debate, October 19, 2016
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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 efforts speaks to the increasingly stringent — and desperate — measures public agencies and lawmakers in California are attempting in order to stem a troubling rise in e-bike incidents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
But mining associations filed suit, claiming that the standards set by the government to measure compliance are too stringent.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
The country’s regulators have imposed increasingly stringent restrictions on single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds tracking SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
So many states had repealed so many firearm regulations that the District of Columbia’s stringent handgun ban looked like a true outlier.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
In December, 184.9, most of the speeches made in Congress dealt 'with the need for a more stringent fugitive slave law.
From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry
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.
