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
Related Words
See strict.
Other Word Forms
- nonstringent adjective
- stringency noun
- stringently adverb
- unstringent adjective
- unstringently adverb
Etymology
Origin of stringent
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin stringent- (stem of stringēns ), present participle of stringere “to draw tight”; -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 insurance law expert predicted more defensive default settings, stricter age verification, more stringent parental controls and new alerts to nudge users off the platforms will all flow from the courtroom.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026
That being said, ExpressVPN’s privacy practices include some “gold standard” stuff like RAM-only servers that are wiped at every reboot and its stringent no-logs policy.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
This widens the gap with Grana Padano, a competitor with less stringent production rules, as well as other cheeses meant for grating.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
The banks also have stringent capital requirements that keep them away from large exposures to the type of higher-rate middle-market loans the BDCs focus on.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
Now they could move ahead— but under standards of military secrecy even more stringent than those of Briggs, about which Lawrence had groused constantly.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
