as in enforcer
a person who is very strict about punishing bad behavior; a person who uses discipline as a way of making sure that rules or orders are obeyed
The school's principal is a strict disciplinarian.
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Recent Examples of disciplinarian
Both were industrious strivers at work and strict disciplinarians at home.
—
Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
The 45-year-old wife, accused of being the primary disciplinarian, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while the 43-year-old husband received a 10-year sentence.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
After three years with John Fox, Pace didn’t need to fully reset the culture inside Halas Hall and bring in an experienced disciplinarian because Fox had helped clean up the mess left behind by the Phil Emery/Marc Trestman administration.
—Adam Jahns, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
There are no old-school disciplinarians in the NFL any longer, but Campbell’s success is based on toughness, winning the one-on-one battles and gambling that his team will be successful on fourth-down plays.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for disciplinarian
Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
The 45-year-old wife, accused of being the primary disciplinarian, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while the 43-year-old husband received a 10-year sentence.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
After three years with John Fox, Pace didn’t need to fully reset the culture inside Halas Hall and bring in an experienced disciplinarian because Fox had helped clean up the mess left behind by the Phil Emery/Marc Trestman administration.
—Adam Jahns, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
There are no old-school disciplinarians in the NFL any longer, but Campbell’s success is based on toughness, winning the one-on-one battles and gambling that his team will be successful on fourth-down plays.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for disciplinarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disciplinarian
Noun
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Quick-Draw Mike (James Marsden) is tired of being a criminal enforcer and taking out people who don’t pay up.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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Besides Hardy’s Alfie Solomons, the other major question in the lead-up to The Immortal Man involved Paul Anderson’s Arthur Shelby, the unhinged, brutish enforcer who loyally served his brother Tommy and the rest of the Peaky Blinders.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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What is the answer to that — an authoritarian taskmaster?—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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Billy is a tough taskmaster, sending Max down a hole in the ground to chisel out the precious metal, a tall task for a minor.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Khomeini was a leader of opposition to the shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, an authoritarian who wanted to modernize the country.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Mar. 2026
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Khamenei, 87, who had been in power for more than three decades, was viewed by critics as a repressive authoritarian responsible for the mass murder of thousands of protesters and other human rights abuses.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 1976, with dictator Idi Amin aggressively opposing Israel, four terrorists hijacked Air France Flight 139 on its way from Tel Aviv to France.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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Iraq’s surprise invasion in 1980 served as a wind in the sails of the Guards, who saw their role drastically expanded to keep Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s forces at bay.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disciplinarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disciplinarian. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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