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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word discipline distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of discipline are castigate, chasten, chastise, correct, and punish. While all these words mean "to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing," discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

When is castigate a more appropriate choice than discipline?

The meanings of castigate and discipline largely overlap; however, castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

When would chasten be a good substitute for discipline?

The synonyms chasten and discipline are sometimes interchangeable, but chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

When can chastise be used instead of discipline?

While the synonyms chastise and discipline are close in meaning, chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

When might correct be a better fit than discipline?

While in some cases nearly identical to discipline, correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

When is it sensible to use punish instead of discipline?

The words punish and discipline can be used in similar contexts, but punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discipline
Noun
Be clear and consistent Establishing clear rules, boundaries, and consequences while maintaining them over time is key toward successful, long-term discipline. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 15 Jan. 2025 Awesome Black Creativity is an interactive display featuring figures built with Lego bricks that represent Black people who have made huge contributions across a variety of disciplines, including the arts, sports, sciences, technology, gastronomy and activism. Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
The truth is that actors are more tremendously disciplined than most. Carmel Dagan, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025 There were no records in Wyatt’s personnel file indicating he had ever been disciplined or internally investigated. Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for discipline 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discipline
Noun
  • The Alexander Police Department is looking for a suspect involved in a shooting that occurred on Shirley Drive on Saturday, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.
    Parker Mancino, arkansasonline.com, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Thomas cited the department’s experience at Democratic and Republican national conventions.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 19 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Harsh punishment for traumatized children took its toll.
    Jazzmin Jiwa, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
  • The proposition won 68% of the vote, and walked back some of the features of Prop. 47, which voters passed a decade earlier to reduce punishments for non-violent crimes.
    Annika Merrilees, Sacramento Bee, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The Department of Education has said in its restraint and seclusion resource document there is no evidence restraint and seclusion reduce problem behaviors.
    Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 26 Jan. 2025
  • The tether, or rope, is a restraint tool, according to the report.
    Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The Rally called to end the emergency, and was swiftly punished; one of the coalition leaders spent eighteen years in solitary confinement.
    Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
  • By actively hiring individuals with prior convictions, corporations can take a meaningful step toward economic justice, ensuring that those who were once punished for minor drug offenses have a chance to rebuild their lives.
    Summer Westerbur, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • What To Know The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecasted 4 to 6 inches of snow for parts of the Houston metro area, a rare event in the region's climate history.
    Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The snow is moving east Tuesday, and is affecting coastal areas all the way to the Florida Panhandle and southern Carolinas.
    Andrew Freedman, Axios, 22 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • However, Democrats were quick to note that the ex-sister-in-law not only put her name on the affidavit but swore an oath under a penalty of perjury.
    Al Weaver, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Trump pledged in his inaugural address that tariffs would be coming and said foreign countries would be paying the trade penalties, even though those taxes are currently paid by domestic importers and often passed along to consumers.
    Paul Wiseman, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Presiding over the Maldives from 1978 to 2008, Gayoom set the tone for the current levels of political repression.
    Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025
  • For Evie, the attraction is tied to childhood repression.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • On electric ovens, the ineffective heating could come down to a faulty heating element, which is pretty easy to replace yourself.
    Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Jan. 2025
  • Bird Rock Elementary: As part of a year-long initiative, Bird Rock is emphasizing the school’s core values through morning announcements, curriculum elements and monthly assemblies.
    Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near discipline

Cite this Entry

“Discipline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discipline. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on discipline

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