ˈstrikt adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Latin strictus, past participle of stringere to draw tight, press together — more at strain
1. : particularly severe in requirement : permitting no evasion
had always been under the strictest orders not to enter — T.B.Costain
the only court in equity capable of overruling strict law — Henry Adams
2. : maintained absolutely without deviation : complete , thorough
had been meeting his two friends only in strict secrecy — Upton Sinclair
occupy the position of strict neutrality — E.M.Coulter
3. archaic : drawn close : tight
she wildly breaketh from their strict embrace — Shakespeare
4.
a. botany : of upright erect habit
a strict stem or plant
: being straight and not lax or drooping
a strict inflorescence
b. biology : obligate
5. : rigorous in exercising control : severely disciplinary
though strict in some ways she had shown herself unexpectedly lenient in others — Archibald Marshall
6.
a. archaic : compressed in extent : constricted , narrow
b. : closely restricted
remained in strict custody
7. archaic : close , intimate
there never was a more strict friendship — Richard Steele
8. : inflexibly adhered to : firmly maintained
demanded stricter discipline — E.W.Parks
held his pupils under strict control — L.M.Crosbie
congestion … makes strict supervision of speed imperative — American Guide Series: Rhode Island
9. : characterized by severityt : rigorously austere
aren't half so strict now about mourning as they used to be — Arnold Bennett
10. : completely accurate : exact , precise
in the strict sense of the word every writer … deals with life — M.R.Cohen
aim at strict historical accuracy — G.G.Coulton
11. : conforming closely to a set pattern : adhering rigidly to a conventionally fixed norm
a development of several centuries into a strict form — T.S.Eliot
the opera is written in the strict twelve-tone style — K.H.Wörner
the verse … for all its freedom and variety, is nevertheless very strict — F.R.Leavis
12. : unswerving in conformance to principle
an earnest and a strict Moslem — W.N.Ewer
regarded as uncanonical by all strict churchmen — F.M.Stenton
Synonyms: see rigid