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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As if the stunning animation and rich worldbuilding weren’t enough, Arcane also has high-stakes lesbian tension — over the course of the show’s two seasons, Vi finds unexpected romance with Piltover enforcer Caitlyn (Katie Leung).—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
15 Oct. 2025
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Mason Geertsen a nonfactor Geertsen was brought in to be an enforcer.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Cancer is a tough taskmaster, and doctors didn’t detect it early enough.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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For a man known around the Pentagon as a relentless, humorless taskmaster, McNamara seemed virtually unrecognizable on the party circuit, mingling casually with journalists, fellow government officials, and vivacious Georgetown hostesses.—
William Taubman,
Air Mail,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Not your grandma’s authoritarians Today’s authoritarian rulers realize that civil society has the potential to support democracy and pry loose their grip on power.—
Christopher Justin Einolf,
The Conversation,
26 Sep. 2025
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That is why censorship is the authoritarian's dream.—
Robert Birsel
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And with foreign powers long divided over the war in Syria and the uprising against its former dictator, there is little hope for an international tribunal either.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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The 2025 Noble Peace Prize went to Maria Corina Machado for her political opposition to Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disciplinarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disciplinarian. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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