disciplinarian
Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of disciplinarian
First recorded in 1575–85; discipline + -arian
Explanation
A disciplinarian is someone who expects you to follow a very strict set of rules. Many disciplinarians also believe in using harsh punishments for those who break those rules. The word disciplinarian is all about discipline, which originally meant "punishment for the sake of correction." The Latin root, disciplina, was a lot more about teaching, instruction, and knowledge than punishment, though. Today, a disciplinarian's intent is both to instruct by means of explicit rules and to punish when those rules aren't followed. If your disciplinarian parents tell you to take the trash out, you're probably quick to follow their instructions.
Vocabulary lists containing disciplinarian
Power Suffix: -arian
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Facing the Lion
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Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Disciplinarian - I think that was because he was an officer in the RAF.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2016
Last week, flat-bellied and fit but pushing 64, Disciplinarian Lear announced that he would retire next month as a field officer.
From Time Magazine Archive
But Stern Disciplinarian Lysikov Sr. disapproved of his son's ambition, as he disapproved of almost everything else about the boy.
From Time Magazine Archive
After the March Revolution in Russia, Disciplinarian Mannerheim began to have trouble with his younger officers, tried to punish them for insubordination, was overruled by the General Staff.
From Time Magazine Archive
From the time he could walk, And before he could talk, His wearisome training began, On a highly barbarian, Disciplinarian, Nearly Tartarean Plan!
From Grimm Tales Made Gay by Levering, Albert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
