correctional
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of correctional
First recorded in 1830–40; correction + -al 1
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.
State correctional officials said since 1977, nearly all people who have escaped or walked away from an adult institution, camp, in-state contract bed or community-based program placement have been apprehended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Before Tuesday, correctional officers at each facility might have still respected the inmate’s rights out of fear that they could be sued for damages.
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
When Dismukes was appointed in 2025 to head the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, she inherited a system with a 49% vacancy rate of correctional officers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
The Safer Skies Act expanded that mandate to roughly 18,000 law-enforcement agencies and 6,000 correctional facilities across the country.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026
Of the nearly 7.3 million people currently under correctional control, only 2.3 million are in prison or jail.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
