re·for·ma·to·ry
ri-ˈfȯr-mə-ˌtȯr-ē 
plural reformatories
: a penal institution to which especially young or first offenders are committed for training and reformation
Synonyms
Examples of reformatory in a Sentence
Adjective
the belief that manual labor was a reformatory experience for convicted felons, who would learn the value of hard work
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 16 June 2024
Lucien turned himself in the next day and served two years for manslaughter in a reformatory.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for reformatory 
Adjective
Art & Art History The Art of Renaissance Clothes
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
Police quickly nabbed him, and he was packed off to a reformatory.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 16 June 2024
Lucien turned himself in the next day and served two years for manslaughter in a reformatory.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 24 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for reformatory
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reformatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Reformatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reformatory. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
reformatory
1 of 2 adjective
re·for·ma·to·ry
ri-ˈfȯr-mə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
reformatory
2 of 2 noun
plural reformatories
: an institution for reforming usually young or female criminals or those in jail for the first time
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