Strong In: Standard Pattern
Strong In: 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 “strong in” when describing strength or ability in a subject or field where that construction is idiomatic.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning | Pattern | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| ability or performance in a subject/field where the collocation is idiomatic | strong in + subject/field | Use the documented pattern. |
| physical strength or a different sense of “strong” | choose the complement required by that sense | Do not generalize this subject/field pattern. |
| describing a learner’s good area | strong in + named subject/field | Keep the field after “in.” |
Quick tests
Field-of-ability test
Does “strong” describe good ability or performance in a subject or field?
If yes: “Strong in + subject/field” can be idiomatic.
If no: If “strong” has a different meaning, choose the construction required by that meaning.
Caveat: The cited evidence supports the subject/field use; it does not make “in” the universal complement after every sense of “strong.”
Examples
She is strong in mathematics.
“In” introduces the subject in which she has strong ability.
The candidate is strong in data analysis.
The construction can identify a field of strength when the collocation is natural.
Use the preposition required by the intended sense rather than extending “strong in” to every meaning of “strong.”
This keeps the recommendation within the reviewed subject/field pattern.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “strong in” when describing strength or ability in a subject or field where that construction is idiomatic.
Style Boundary
Cambridge directly contrasts “strong in” a subject with weak at/in another; do not turn that attestation into a ban on other documented strong constructions.
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.
- WEAK | English meaning — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct Cambridge dictionary evidence contrasting weak at/in a subject with strong in another subject.