stringent

[strin-juhnt]

adjective

1. rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe.

   stringent laws.

   Synonyms: restrictive
   Antonyms: flexible

2. compelling, constraining, or urgent.

   stringent necessity.

3. convincing or forcible.

   stringent arguments.

   Synonyms: effective, powerful, forceful

4. (of the money market) characterized by a shortage in money for loan or investment purposes; tight.

stringent

/ ˈstrɪndʒənt /

adjective

1. requiring strict attention to rules, procedure, detail, etc

2. finance characterized by or causing a shortage of credit, loan capital, etc

Other Word Forms

• stringency noun
• stringently adverb
• nonstringent adjective
• unstringent adjective
• unstringently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stringent¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin stringent- (stem of stringēns ), present participle of stringere “to draw tight”; -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of stringent¹

C17: from Latin stringere to bind

Synonym Study

See strict.

Example Sentences

As big banks adjusted to more stringent capital requirements and other regulations imposed in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, private lenders increasingly picked up the slack.

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And increasingly stringent return-to-work policies have brought more foot traffic to the city’s business districts.

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What is happening now is rooted in questions about banks’ lending standards, and whether they have been appropriately stringent.

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What is happening now is rooted in questions about banks’ lending standards, and whether they have been appropriately stringent.

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In July, Newsom signed into law a rollback of a stringent environmental statute that opponents of new development have used in recent decades to tie up proposed housing projects in litigation, often for years.

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Related Words

• binding 
• demanding 
• draconian 
• exacting 
• forceful 
• harsh 
• inflexible 
• ironclad 
• rigorous 
• severe 
• stiff 
• strict 
• tough