as in reformative
serving to raise or adjust something to some standard or proper condition
the belief that manual labor was a reformatory experience for convicted felons, who would learn the value of hard work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in reform school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example 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 reformatory
JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
His mother sent him to the Élan School in Maine, a reformatory boarding institution with extreme forms of discipline, including shouting sessions and boxing matches, that attracted widespread criticism and that led to the school’s closing in 2011.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
Ross’ novel approach tells Whitehead’s tale, based on true events, about two young Black men stuck in a wretched juvenile Florida reformatory school, the site of relentless and sometimes fatal abuse.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for reformatory
Adjective
While Spanish Catholicism and reformatory Protestantism favored black clothing, much of the Renaissance happened in an explosion of color.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
His mother sent him to the Élan School in Maine, a reformatory boarding institution with extreme forms of discipline, including shouting sessions and boxing matches, that attracted widespread criticism and that led to the school’s closing in 2011.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
On the cusp of college, he’s instead sentenced to time at a notorious reformatory.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
Ross’ novel approach tells Whitehead’s tale, based on true events, about two young Black men stuck in a wretched juvenile Florida reformatory school, the site of relentless and sometimes fatal abuse.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for reformatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reformatory
Adjective
-
Fifty-five years after Martin Luther King's death, African Americans continue to proudly honor his reformative legacy in Phoenix.—
The Arizona Republic,
The Arizona Republic,
14 Jan. 2024
-
While the idea of hiring actors might raise some eyebrows, acting and artistry can be an important step in the reformative process, and Hemsworth suggested that the actors’ real-life experiences helped shape their on-screen characters.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
5 Dec. 2023
Noun
-
This Morning, This Evening (a portrait of a rural Alabama community in which Ross embedded himself), to Nickel Boys, his impressionistic bravura fiction feature debut about two Black boys sent to a reform school in Jim Crow–era Florida.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
22 Feb. 2025
-
The immersive and emotionally powerful movie, up for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay, devised a new way to portray point-of-view onscreen for this story of two boys abused at a southern reform school.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The 1,4-dioxane also has infiltrated the western portion of Seminole County’s public water system, although county leaders to date have been mostly mute about the dangers and the need for corrective action.—
Kevin Spear,
Orlando Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Sonya Massey case:DOJ and Illinois sheriff agree to policing upgrades after 2024 killing City of Hanceville vows to 'implement necessary corrective actions' Crocker added that Hanceville officials, including Sawyer and the city council, have pledged their full cooperation in the investigation.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Just like in Diablo, the name of the game here is clicking to move and attack swarms of enemies in dark isometric dungeons, throwing in some magical attacks with the number keys on your keyboard as needed.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Accra, Ghana: In Ghana’s capital, follow a visit to a castle where captives waiting to be taken to the New World were held in dank dungeons with a trip to the Black Star of Africa sitting atop an arch, announcing Ghana’s independence.—
Gerald Narciso Jeremie Souteyrat,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The training school was a juvenile correctional facility that served boys and men between the ages of 12 and 21.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
-
The GoFundMe raised more than $67,000 over its first two days, including large donations from the Idaho Medical Academy, emergency training school Idaho CPR Plus, and Meridian, Middleton, Star and Kuna firefighter unions.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
That is a memoir by Kang Chol-hwan about the North Korean gulag.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
15 Jan. 2025
-
Now as then, letters from the gulags tell of eternal winters, cold cells, and the longing for the first signs of greenery to appear amid the thaw.—
Francesca Mastruzzo (Tr. Elettra Pauletto),
The Dial,
14 Jan. 2024
Noun
-
One is a stony oubliette with crystals growing out of the walls.—
Erin Alberty,
Axios,
6 Jan. 2025
-
This godown was an oubliette.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harper’s Magazine ,
7 Dec. 2021
Noun
-
But for those without convertible cribs—or who don’t own cribs, or may have skipped them altogether—we’ve listed 10 standalone beds that meet our top requirements: high quality materials; safe, smart design; and enough unquestionable cuteness to earn their keep.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
12 Feb. 2025
-
In summer, its outdoor Luna Cinema shows classics on a screen erected between the keep and the castle’s fabulously odd mansion.—
Jamie Carter,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reformatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reformatory. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share