rigorism means strictness (in interpreting or enforcing a rule). Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
rigorism is pronounced /ˈɹɪɡəˌɹɪzm/.
Why “rigorism” is a great word
RIGORISM — [Noun] The strict, often excessive adherence to rules or laws, particularly the doctrine in moral theology that in any doubtful case one must follow the safest, most restrictive course prescribed by the law. From Latin rigor ("stiffness, severity") + the English suffix -ism (denoting a practice or doctrine). Formed within English, perhaps modelled on French rigorisme; first attested in the early 18th century. Unlike "laxism" (which permits liberty on slender probability) or "probabilism" (which allows a solidly probable opinion for freedom), rigorism admits no shadow of a doubt. It is the penitent's hair shirt worn on a summer day, the administrative rejection for a single missing comma, and the deliberate refusal to cross a line drawn in sand for fear the grains themselves might shift—a fortress of certainty built against the terrifying wilderness of human ambiguity.
Etymology
From rigor + -ism.
noun
- strictness (in interpreting or enforcing a rule)
- In Roman Catholic moral theology, the doctrine that in a case of doubt between right and wrong one should take the safer course, i.e. the one in verbal accordance with the law.