as in punitive
inflicting, involving, or serving as punishment
disciplining actions taken in response to the rowdiness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in punishing
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
the pranksters were severely disciplined for their irresponsible stunt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 disciplining
Fred Schulte, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Along with disciplining doctors, the Board of Medicine can set guidelines and rules for best medical practices.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
According to the indictment, Gonzalez, Carillo, Beltran and De Los Angeles participated in disciplining members or others deemed to have interfered with the criminal activities.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Charis Smith, Deerfield Beach The response by Florida Atlantic University to attempt to silence faculty by disciplining some for their posts on personal social media accounts should come as no surprise.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
Paxton’s support for Bowden puts him at odds with the Texas Medical Board, a state agency tasked with protecting the public by licensing and disciplining physicians and other health care professionals.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2026
No topic appeared off limits for the couple, as Kevin and Ruby posted videos on everything from homeschooling to potty training to their fertility struggles — as well as their approach to disciplining their six children, according to the podcast The Rise and Fall of Ruby Franke.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Complicating matters, the 30-year-old MLS newcomer was held out of the past two games, Varas disciplining him for a tantrum after the coach benched him at halftime three weeks ago in Houston.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
The amendment also makes several changes to the commission’s process for disciplining judges.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
And in an exclusive interview, TJ Watkins, a member of California’s medical licensing board, called for greater transparency in the secretive process for disciplining physicians, saying the board should alert the public about doctors under investigation for alleged misconduct.
—Fred Schulte, NBC news, 10 Mar. 2026
Along with disciplining doctors, the Board of Medicine can set guidelines and rules for best medical practices.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
According to the indictment, Gonzalez, Carillo, Beltran and De Los Angeles participated in disciplining members or others deemed to have interfered with the criminal activities.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Charis Smith, Deerfield Beach The response by Florida Atlantic University to attempt to silence faculty by disciplining some for their posts on personal social media accounts should come as no surprise.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
Paxton’s support for Bowden puts him at odds with the Texas Medical Board, a state agency tasked with protecting the public by licensing and disciplining physicians and other health care professionals.
—Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2026
No topic appeared off limits for the couple, as Kevin and Ruby posted videos on everything from homeschooling to potty training to their fertility struggles — as well as their approach to disciplining their six children, according to the podcast The Rise and Fall of Ruby Franke.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Complicating matters, the 30-year-old MLS newcomer was held out of the past two games, Varas disciplining him for a tantrum after the coach benched him at halftime three weeks ago in Houston.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025
The amendment also makes several changes to the commission’s process for disciplining judges.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disciplining
Adjective
-
The jurors reached the compensatory verdict first, then had to go back and deliberate further to come up with the punitive award.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Mar. 2026
-
However, if Tuesday’s $375 million verdict out of a similar social media trial in New Mexico is any blueprint, expect the punitive award in the West Coast trial to be a comparable amount.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
We get hit, get some adversity, miss some shots, and then just everybody starts worrying about what happened on offense and teams take advantage of it and keep punishing us.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The arguments now looked back at what went wrong, forward to punishing the guilty, and perhaps to fixing what was broken.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The federal Department of Justice announced an investigation into California’s correctional system Thursday over the state’s policy of housing incarcerated transgender women in female prisons.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The report also highlighted increases in correctional and medical staff, as well as reductions in violence.—
María Santana,
CNN Money,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disciplining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disciplining. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
