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

The disciplinary action stemmed from a speech Olson delivered in April at the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association Law Enforcement Expo. — Brian Maass, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

In her response, Engelbert defended the league’s officiating and disciplinary processes. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

But the grandfather my father grew up with was more strict and disciplinary and wanted to keep them together as a group. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026

Hospitals require a multi-disciplinary team of specialists working together to provide care for the patients before, during and after treatment. — Steven Ross Johnson, CNBC, 16 Oct. 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