disciplinary
Americanadjective
adjective
-
of, promoting, or used for discipline; corrective
-
relating to a branch of learning
criticism that crosses disciplinary boundaries
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of disciplinary
First recorded in 1575–85; discipline + -ary
Explanation
Anything disciplinary is meant to correct someone's bad behavior or punish them for doing something wrong. At many schools, the vice principal is in charge of disciplinary actions like detention. Many parents have disciplinary methods that include issuing time-outs, grounding teenagers for misbehavior, or withholding privileges like watching TV. The sentences and punishments handed down by judges in criminal courts and military tribunals are more serious disciplinary actions. In fact, the adjective disciplinary comes from a Latin root, disciplina, that means both "instruction given" and "military discipline."
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.
Wang, square-jawed with a trademark comb-over in his elder years, remade himself as an economic technocrat as China opened up, then was tapped by Xi as disciplinary chief in 2012.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Jorge “George” Gonzalez, whose disciplinary hearing is set for this fall.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
An independent disciplinary commission said that Eckert, the club's 33-year-old German boss, accepted he had orchestrated what it called a "contrived and determined plan from the top down".
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Early research shows school phone bans have cut down on student disciplinary problems and boosted test scores.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
The final straw came one evening while she sat downstairs on the phone listening to my dean from Riverdale explain why they were placing me on academic and disciplinary probation.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
