strictly
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
in a way that follows rules or orders exactly without any changes.
in a manner that demands total obedience or rigorous adherence to established rules or standards.
Simple“The school rules are strictly enforced to ensure all students stay safe.”
In context“The laboratory protocols must be strictly followed to prevent cross-contamination between the sensitive biological samples.”
UsageOften modifies verbs like 'enforce', 'follow', or 'prohibit'.
SynonymsAntonymslooselyleniently - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
used to say that something is for one purpose or group only.
used to indicate that a statement or condition applies exclusively to a specific person, group, or activity.
Simple“This parking area is strictly for staff members with a valid permit.”
In context“The funds were strictly allocated for infrastructure repairs, meaning they could not be diverted to cover administrative salaries.”
UsageCommonly used with 'for' or 'limited to'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
used when you are talking about the exact or literal meaning of a word.
used to indicate that a word or phrase is being used in its most precise, literal, or technical sense.
Simple“Strictly speaking, a tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.”
In context“Strictly speaking, the agreement is not a treaty but a memorandum of understanding between the two departments.”
UsageFrequently appears in the fixed phrase 'strictly speaking'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
in math, used to show that one value is always greater or smaller than another, never equal.
describing a relationship where an inequality holds without the possibility of equality.
Simple“The function is strictly increasing, so the line always goes up.”
In context“A strictly monotonic function ensures that for any two distinct points in the domain, their images are also distinct.”
UsageTypically modifies adjectives like 'increasing', 'decreasing', 'greater than', or 'less than'.
Usage strictly prohibited · strictly adhere · strictly control
“Cofnas’s research activities in the role have been “strictly limited to the research topics for which the appointment was made”.”
“It was the biggest use of the system to date - but Dowden has now weighed in to question whether it was strictly necessary.”
From strict + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.