Strict With: Standard Pattern
Strict With: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “strict with” when a person applies firm rules, standards, or discipline toward another person or group.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| a person applies firm rules or discipline toward a person/group | be strict with + person/group | Use the documented interpersonal pattern. |
| the focus is a rule, standard, or topic rather than the person affected | choose the construction that fits that object | Do not treat “with” as the only complement of “strict.” |
| describing the person who receives the discipline | strict with + that person/group | Keep the interpersonal target after “with.” |
Quick tests
Target test
Is the following noun the person or group toward whom firm rules or discipline are applied?
If yes: Use “strict with + person/group.”
If no: If the following noun names a rule, requirement, or other topic, check the construction required by that meaning.
Caveat: This guide supports the interpersonal “strict with” pattern; it does not establish a universal preposition rule for every sense of “strict.”
Examples
The coach is strict with the team about punctuality.
“With the team” identifies the people receiving the firm discipline.
She is strict with herself when checking the figures.
The reflexive object can identify the person held to firm standards.
The supervisor was strict with new trainees during the first week.
The interpersonal target naturally follows “with.”
Further guidance
Construction
Use “strict with” when a person applies firm rules, standards, or discipline toward another person or group.
Style Boundary
“Strict” also appears with complements such as “about”; this page is limited to the person-directed “with” construction.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- STRICT | English meaning — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct Cambridge dictionary evidence for “strict with” a person when applying firm rules or discipline.