disciplinary

adjective

dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdi-sə-plə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce disciplinary (audio)
 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 adverb
disciplinarity noun

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 And though jurors found both officers liable of violating Johnson’s rights, a Denver police investigation found no policy violations, the officers did not face disciplinary action, and both still work in the patrol division, a police department spokesperson told CNN this week. Holly Yan, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 The task force, which consisted of district staff, health care and public health professionals, was told not to address the district's code of conduct, which outlines disciplinary responses for offenses including tobacco, alcohol and drug possession and use. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 The driver’s recommendation would have to be considered in determining disciplinary action. Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2024 Questions sent by the Star-Telegram about the standard protocol for dismissal and whether the student’s teacher will be facing any disciplinary action or additional training for student dismissal were not addressed. Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024 That’s according to the administrative complaint filed July 22 by the department against Seduction Cosmetic Center, 4950 SW Eighth St. Administrative complaints start the process that can end in disciplinary action. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Kubler assembles a group of others who were sent away, mostly at the age of 15 or 16, to The Academy at Ivy Ridge, a disciplinary facility in New York state near the Canadian border. Brian Lowry, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 These are some of the countless rules that teens had to follow at Academy at Ivy Ridge, a disciplinary boarding institution that operated in upstate N.Y. between 2001 and 2009. TIME, 5 Mar. 2024 At the University of Maryland, the affected organizations were warned on Thursday about the possibility of disciplinary action during an emergency meeting about earlier allegations of misconduct. Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disciplinary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of disciplinary was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near disciplinary

Cite this Entry

“Disciplinary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disciplinary. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disciplinary

adjective
dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdis-ə-plə-ˌner-ē How to pronounce disciplinary (audio)
: of or relating to discipline : corrective
take disciplinary action

More from Merriam-Webster on disciplinary

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!