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"strict" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often stern (5 letters).
Definitions
severe and unremitting in making demands
Word origin
Borrowed from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere (“to draw tight, bind, contract”). Doublet of strait and stretto. See stringent, strain. Related to strong.
Used in a sentence
“strict embrace”
“strict ligature”
“strict fiber”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer2 curated clues
01“Firm about rules”6 letters
02“Severe or exacting”6 letters
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