Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Harshness or strictness in conduct, judgment, or practice.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Rigidity in principles or practice; exactingness; strictness; severity, as of style, conduct, etc.; especially, severity in the mode of life; austerity.
  • noun In Roman Catholic theology, the doctrine that one must always in a case of doubt as to right and wrong take the safer way, sacrificing his freedom of choice, however small the doubt as to the morality of the action: the opposite of probabilism. Also tutiorism.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Rigidity in principle or practice; strictness; -- opposed to laxity.
  • noun Severity, as of style, or the like.
  • noun (Ethics) Strictness in ethical principles; -- usually applied to ascetic ethics, and opposed to ethical latitudinarianism.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun strictness (in interpreting or enforcing a rule)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

rigor +‎ -ism

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Examples

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  • A suspect avowal of stigmatism

    Is tested with maximum rigorism.

    Hysterical miracles

    Imperil the clericals

    And threaten to trigger a schism.

    October 8, 2016