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.