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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Since its establishment in 1979, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has served as an enforcer of anti-discrimination laws in schools and colleges around the country.—
Nadia Sussman,
ProPublica,
9 Jan. 2026
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Throughout her career, Meléndez has been a loyal enforcer of the Bolivarian project, overseeing internal security, police forces and emergency operations during periods of political unrest.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Emery is a taskmaster but, along with countryman defender Pau Torres, Rogers is among his favourites in the Villa squad.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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In this Water sign, the taskmaster will expose emotional or spiritual fatigue, which asks us to build something honest and enduring rather than idealized and faulty.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Maduro, an authoritarian, has led Venezuela since 2013, succeeding an ideological ally, Hugo Chávez, who had been in office since 1999.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Jan. 2026
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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
Noun
-
But, as had happened so often in the history of brittle regimes, the dictator’s gesture of conciliation was read as desperation.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
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Mainly for the money Among the fraternity of dictators such revenue streams have now gone mainstream.—
Max Hastings,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disciplinarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disciplinarian. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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