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 disobedient or defiant behavior

took disciplinary action

2

: of or relating to a particular field of study

academic disciplinary specialization

disciplinarily

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-lē 

adverb

disciplinarity

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-tē 

noun

Synonyms of disciplinary

• punitive
• correctional

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

Beneath the symbolism is Xi’s fear that China could end up like the Soviet Union, whose own Communist Party, Xi believes, let its internal disciplinary mechanisms atrophy and thus was the architect of its own demise. — Andrew Mertha, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026

Triunfel had no disciplinary history with the NYPD before his arrest, officials said. — Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026

There was, however, no disciplinary action called by the on-field referee Chris Kavanagh or the video assistant referee (VAR) Darren England. — Colin Millar, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Any misuse of Flock and other ALPR technology will be reported to the director of the Missouri DPS for immediate disciplinary proceedings. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for disciplinary

• accretionary
• apothecary
• bicentenary
• certiorari
• concessionary
• concretionary
• confectionary
• confectionery
• constabulary
• contemporary
• deflationary
• depositary

Kids Definition

disciplinary

adjective

dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdis-ə-plə-ˌner-ē 

: of or relating to discipline : corrective

take disciplinary action