disciplinary

adjective

dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdi-sə-plə-ˌner-ē 

 especially British  ˌdi-sə-ˈpli-nə-rē

1

a

: of or relating to discipline

disciplinary problems

b

: designed to correct or punish breaches of discipline

took disciplinary action

2

: of or relating to a particular field of study

disciplinary specialization

disciplinarily

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-lē 

adverb

disciplinarity

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• castigating
• chastening
• chastising
• correcting
• correctional
• corrective
• disciplining
• penal
• penalizing
• punitive

Examples of disciplinary in a Sentence

The committee is considering disciplinary measures against him.

called for disciplinary actions in response to the outrageous behavior

Recent Examples on the Web

That Buzbee is not admitted to this Court—and thus is apparently attempting to avoid its disciplinary authority—only underscores the pressing need for such an order. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2024

The barrier unit puts up metal and wood barriers and other crowd control equipment ahead of protests, parades or other large public gatherings and is largely made up of cops on desk duty facing potential disciplinary action. —Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 17 Dec. 2024

Miao’s predecessor, Gen. Zhang Yang, killed himself while under disciplinary investigation for bribery. —Nectar Gan, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024

The inspectors found so many problems at the facility that the agency sent Glenmark what’s known as a warning letter, a disciplinary tool the FDA uses to lay out significant violations of federal requirements and demand changes. —Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin disciplīnārius, from Latin disciplīna "teaching, discipline entry 1" + -ārius -ary entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

disciplinary

adjective

dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdis-ə-plə-ˌner-ē 

: of or relating to discipline : corrective

take disciplinary action