strin·gent (str?n?j?nt)adj.1. Imposing rigorous standards of performance; severe: stringent safety measures.2. Constricted; tight: operating under a stringent time limit.3. Characterized by scarcity of money, credit restrictions, or other financial strain: stringent economic policies.[Latin string?ns, stringent-, present participle of stringere, to draw tight; see streig- in Indo-European roots.]strin?gen·cy n.strin?gent·ly adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.stringent (?str?nd??nt) adj1. requiring strict attention to rules, procedure, detail, etc2. (Banking & Finance) finance characterized by or causing a shortage of credit, loan capital, etc[C17: from Latin stringere to bind] ?stringency n ?stringently advCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014strin?gent (?str?n d??nt) adj. 1. rigorously binding or exacting; strict: stringent laws. 2. compelling; urgent: stringent necessity. 3. convincing; forcible: stringent arguments. 4. (of the money market) making little money available for loans or investments. [1595?1605;