as in severity
the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism)
his stoic temperament suited him well to the demands and strictness of military life
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Recent Examples of strictness
And there’s little strictness about ideological consistency.
—
Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
His mother’s strictness helped Harewood avoid getting caught up in selling drugs.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
The attorneys speaking with all pointed out that this regulation is in its early days, and the strictness or severity of state reviews of health care private equity transactions is yet to be determined.
—Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Still, states vary in their strictness.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 31 Aug. 2025
Charles Duhigg, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
His mother’s strictness helped Harewood avoid getting caught up in selling drugs.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
The attorneys speaking with all pointed out that this regulation is in its early days, and the strictness or severity of state reviews of health care private equity transactions is yet to be determined.
—Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Still, states vary in their strictness.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictness
severity
Noun
-
Depending on the severity, menopause symptoms can affect a woman’s quality of life.—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira,
Flow Space,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The severity of the weather was aggravated by heat in Chicago, where highs were reaching over 90 degrees.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strictness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictness. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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