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
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Recent Examples of strictly
Western governments and the International Atomic Energy Agency have raised alarms over Iran’s enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels and disputes over inspections, while Tehran insists its program is strictly civilian.
—
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
As such, reducing your cat’s protein intake should only be done if strictly necessary and under your veterinarian’s supervision.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
The purpose of my college’s incoming students page seemed to be strictly to make friends.
—Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
The virtual influencer is not, strictly speaking, new.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Harding’s caucus often has chastised Democrats for not adhering strictly to state budget limitations.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
Nvidia recently released its first standalone CPU, adding to existing competition Intel faces from longtime rival AMD, as well as from server chips based on the ARM architecture (including an upcoming chip that ARM is making itself, instead of strictly licensing the chip design to other companies).
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Critics express doubts Some health experts have suggested that legalization in the states has led to stronger and stronger cannabis products, which need to be researched rather than categorized less strictly than before.
—Gene Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Some critics of the industry have suggested that legalization in the states has led to stronger and stronger cannabis products, which need to be researched rather than categorized less strictly than before.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
As such, reducing your cat’s protein intake should only be done if strictly necessary and under your veterinarian’s supervision.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
The purpose of my college’s incoming students page seemed to be strictly to make friends.
—Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
The virtual influencer is not, strictly speaking, new.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Harding’s caucus often has chastised Democrats for not adhering strictly to state budget limitations.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
Nvidia recently released its first standalone CPU, adding to existing competition Intel faces from longtime rival AMD, as well as from server chips based on the ARM architecture (including an upcoming chip that ARM is making itself, instead of strictly licensing the chip design to other companies).
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Critics express doubts Some health experts have suggested that legalization in the states has led to stronger and stronger cannabis products, which need to be researched rather than categorized less strictly than before.
—Gene Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Some critics of the industry have suggested that legalization in the states has led to stronger and stronger cannabis products, which need to be researched rather than categorized less strictly than before.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for strictly
Adverb
-
Finally, a second staffer laid a towel over the jerseys, tamped it down a little more, and the two of them carefully slid the slab on top, the two metal latches closing without any effort.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Nearly 17 years after his death, the Michael Jackson brand is more carefully curated than ever.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Magyar’s campaign has been rigidly domestic.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Now, when a ball-strike call is challenged, the strike zone will be rigidly defined based on a batter’s height.—
Juliette Arcodia,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
But there are also filmmakers who prize obsolescent technologies precisely for their apparent shortcomings.—
Dennis Lim,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That’s more than $500 extra annually for the typical family’s grocery bill — money that stays in working-class pockets when markets work freely — precisely while large volume retailers often provide the only real relief in this post-Biden inflation hangover.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Each style is designed in-house using premium materials rigorously fit tested and approved by real women.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
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The article argues that a wide gulf exists between rumor and fact, with Swalwell thriving in that gray space where allegations couldn’t be rigorously verified through independent investigation and legal defensibility.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Strictly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/strictly. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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