strictly

adverb

Definition of strictlynext
as in carefully
without any relaxation of standards or precision strictly speaking, Columbus did not discover America—the people living there had long known about it the rules must be strictly obeyed

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of strictly The brand added that the toothbrush’s camera feed is strictly live and optional, with no images or video stored on the app or the phone, and no access for the company at any point. — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026 Pizza, once found strictly in casual pizzerias, is now on the menu. — Rachel Corbett, Curbed, 31 Aug. 2026 While LinkedIn matchmakers are strictly prohibited under the platform’s guidelines, professional matchmakers recommend researching potential partners online, including scanning their LinkedIn profiles. — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 In accordance with child privacy laws, students aged 12 or younger are strictly prohibited from submitting their own entry or creating accounts to host the video. — USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Money can be a source of pressure Not every college expense is strictly about books, rent or transportation. — Adrienne Roberts, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Key Biscayne The Village of Key Biscayne strictly prohibits all micromobility devices on streets, highways, sidewalks, bicycle paths, multiuse paths and trails, beaches and dunes unless otherwise authorized. — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Thai officials emphasize the visit is strictly rest and resupply, as the Navy enforces a blockade on Iranian ports and Washington offers little clarity on ending the six-month conflict. — Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 Under German and European Union package-travel laws, tour operators are strictly liable for all travel services, even when those services are outsourced to third-party providers. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictly
  1. carefully
  2. rigidly
  3. precisely
  4. rigorously
Adverb
  • Dry food can also work, but portions should be weighed carefully rather than left out for unlimited grazing.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Each flower must be picked and carefully dissected to remove three tiny red threads, known as stigmas.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of carefully
Adverb
  • Starting in the nineteen-eighties, forms of identification as proof of citizenship became more rigidly required.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The acting is passable, more or less, but dialogue is often rigidly expository or cliché or both.
    — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of rigidly
Adverb
  • There are times when that kind of fiscal response is precisely the right thing to do.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Unfortunately for the handful of players fated to a long wait Tuesday, the skies opened in the middle of the afternoon, precisely at the time that the first-round matches that had been held over were scheduled to be played.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of precisely
Adverb
  • Thanks to the rigorously retro-cheap aesthetics of the film’s crack design team (production designer Anna Kathleen, costume designer Shawna-Nova Foley and puppet creator Devon Hawkes Ludlow), your memories of being tube-babysat will be triggered.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The vaccine has been administered in a single dose for more than 40 years and has been rigorously studied.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of rigorously

Browse Nearby Words

strict
strictly
strictness
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Cite this Entry

“Strictly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictly. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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