REFORMATORY Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

reformatory 1 of 2

adjective

ri-ˈfȯr-mə-ˌtȯr-ē

Definition of reformatory

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

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reformatory

2 of 2

noun

as in reform school

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

outside

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

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

The Koskinen baby was reunited with his mother, and Marzano went to a reformatory. — Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 3 May 2025 Due’s novel follows a 12-year-old boy in the 1950s sentenced to an infamous reformatory where ghosts in the halls tell stories about the boys that have been abused and gone missing there. — Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reformatory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for reformatory

Adjective

As part of the reformative aims of the convict system, many of these men were incarcerated at Fremantle Prison, trained, and put to work on infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads, and public buildings.

— Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
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

Definition of reformative

Noun

Advertisement The pair’s investigation starts at the Indiana boys reform school where Manson spent two years.

— Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 22 July 2026
Based on the true story of a reform school where Black boys went missing, the novel pairs the stories of two teens, one a troublemaker and the other caught up by mistake.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of reform school

Adjective

The questions must be what caused the accident, whether it could have been prevented, and what corrective action the evidence demands.

— Dennis Speigel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
Its damage-control component detects vessel damage and takes corrective action.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of corrective

Noun

Forced to stand trial in 11 months’ time, Magda is sent not to the dungeon but to a remote northern city, where she will be closely observed by the dour Lord Proctor of Cair Gramora.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
Released to critical acclaim in 2022, the role-playing game from Japanese publisher Bandai Namco is set in a dark fantasy world and allows players to head off on adventures within vast environments and dungeons.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of dungeon

Noun

One of the helicopters was operated by Jerry Trimble Helicopters, a helicopter flight training school and rental service for private flights, the company said in a statement.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2026
The Omaha Police Department and Omaha Public Schools did not respond to Fortune’s requests for comment on how or why the gloves were being used or about the training school resource officers received to use the devices.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of training school

Noun

Khalil does not want to be shot at, or sought by the secret police, or detained in some for-profit gulag.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson ends up in a gulag in Belarus and Alex Levy, played by Aniston was pushed out of the company by Marion Cotillard’s Celine Dumont.

— Peter White, Deadline, 23 July 2026

Definition of gulag

Noun

In Mackay’s estimation, TSMC has earned its keep and then some.

— Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026
Shoppers scrolling for a shine fix or breakage rescue keep running into the same category, and hair oil has become the first thing celebrity stylists reach for on set.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of keep

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“Reformatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reformatory. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of reformatory

adjective

noun

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