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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word discipline distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of discipline are castigate, chasten, chastise, correct, and punish. While all these words mean "to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing," discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

When is castigate a more appropriate choice than discipline?

The meanings of castigate and discipline largely overlap; however, castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

When would chasten be a good substitute for discipline?

The synonyms chasten and discipline are sometimes interchangeable, but chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

When can chastise be used instead of discipline?

While the synonyms chastise and discipline are close in meaning, chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

When might correct be a better fit than discipline?

While in some cases nearly identical to discipline, correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

When is it sensible to use punish instead of discipline?

The words punish and discipline can be used in similar contexts, but punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of discipline
Noun
The King of Pentacles signals the kind of success that comes through discipline, generosity, and financial planning. Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 May 2025 For its investigation, the California Justice Department staff worked with a team of correctional and healthcare experts to examine a range of conditions of confinement — including use of force, discipline, access to healthcare and due process — in the state’s immigration detention facilities. Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
With a five-game series against the Bruins (41-23-5-3) starting Friday night, May 2 in Rhode Island, Kinnear is pushing his team to remain disciplined. Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2025 Brinks was tight-lipped and would not say how the truck opened or whether the driver would be disciplined. Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for discipline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discipline
Noun
  • The College For Creative Studies Fashion Design Program is recognized as the largest and most equipped fashion accessory design department in the United States.
    Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
  • Educational opportunities often appear in other commercial deals with universities, including in apparel deals between athletic departments and companies like Nike and Adidas.
    Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 3 May 2025
Noun
  • Xavier Guzman pleaded guilty in 2023, but received his punishment after the case against his co-defendant, Emilio Corripio, 20, resolved with a guilty plea in March.
    Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2025
  • But over the last decade, a sea change in state discipline policy — one born in part out of an understanding that such suspensions disproportionately affect Black, Latino and Indigenous students — largely outlawed that kind of punishment.
    Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Noun
  • Walmart, Whole Foods, and Amazon also faced calls for economic restraint by consumers.
    Karen R. King, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Join 315 others in the comments View Comments Whether the market can continue to serve as a restraint on Trump’s intent to implement aggressive trade policy has ignited debate on Wall Street.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Warriors don’t have enough isolation players who can punish Houston’s aggression.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 3 May 2025
  • Humiliated and angry, is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • Immigration is another area where the Trump administration is heavily aligned with Project 2025.
    Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
  • There have been 403 measles cases confirmed in Gaines County, a rural area about an hour-and-a-half west of Lubbock.
    Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Noun
  • What are penalties for driving under the influence?
    Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2025
  • For travelers who disregard the guidance, the TSA has the ability to charge civil penalties of up to $17,062 per person, per incident, according to the TSA’s website.
    Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2025
Noun
  • Throughout the show, Kelvin has been so repressed, and that repression has manifested in incredible ways, like the God Squad and the Smut Busters.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 21 Apr. 2025
  • There were militarized zones that reasserted a semblance of order through repression as well as cults of personality organized around a leader’s ability to provide a sense of purpose.
    Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Artificial intelligence was a major factor in the actors strike of 2023 and the burgeoning technology will remain a key element in next year’s negotiations.
    Peter White, Deadline, 5 May 2025
  • Morality is not a useful element in foreign policy decision making.
    Frank Lavin, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Discipline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discipline. Accessed 12 May. 2025.

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