1. severe in maintaining discipline: severe in maintaining discipline, or rigorous in ensuring that rules are obeyed
2. enforced rigorously: needing to be closely obeyed strict guidelines for admission
3. precise: exact, precise, or narrowly interpreted a strict interpretation of the statute
4. faithful: closely observing rules, principles, or practices strict party loyalty
5. absolute: complete, utter, or absolute
6. botany growing upright: growing upward at or very close to the vertical
[15th century. < Latin strictus, past participle of stringere "draw tight"]
strict·ly adverb
strict·ness noun
Word History
The Latin word stringere "to draw tight," from which strict is derived, is also the source of English constrain, constrict, distress, district, prestige, restrain, restrict, strain1, stress, and stringent.
