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 breaches of discipline

took disciplinary action

2

: of or relating to a particular field of study

disciplinary specialization

disciplinarily

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-lē 

adverb

disciplinarity

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• 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

In the prison disciplinary system, officers held all the power. —Jennifer Gonnerman, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

Prosecutors also showed how Rocha has had disciplinary issues while detained at the Clay County Detention Center. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025

Laura Muir’s former coach Andy Young has been banned from athletics for three years after being found guilty of serious misconduct by two disciplinary panels. —Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

What Happens Next No further disciplinary action or legal investigation concerning the gun gifts has been reported publicly. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025

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