as in reformative
serving to raise or adjust something to some standard or proper condition
the belief that manual labor was a reformatory experience for convicted felons, who would learn the value of hard work
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in reform school
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of reformatory
Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he’s sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 13 Dec. 2024
JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
His mother sent him to the Élan School in Maine, a reformatory boarding institution with extreme forms of discipline, including shouting sessions and boxing matches, that attracted widespread criticism and that led to the school’s closing in 2011.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for reformatory
Adjective
Her behavior became so outrageous and uncontrollable that her family arranged to send her to a girls’ reformatory.
—Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2025
Bearing the brunt of an innocent misstep, he’s sentenced to the netherworld of Nickel Academy, a brutal reformatory sunk deep in the Jim Crow South.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
While Spanish Catholicism and reformatory Protestantism favored black clothing, much of the Renaissance happened in an explosion of color.
—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024
His mother sent him to the Élan School in Maine, a reformatory boarding institution with extreme forms of discipline, including shouting sessions and boxing matches, that attracted widespread criticism and that led to the school’s closing in 2011.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for reformatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reformatory
Adjective
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As part of the reformative aims of the convict system, many of these men were incarcerated at Fremantle Prison, trained, and put to work on infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads, and public buildings.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Aug. 2025
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Fifty-five years after Martin Luther King's death, African Americans continue to proudly honor his reformative legacy in Phoenix.—
The Arizona Republic,
The Arizona Republic,
14 Jan. 2024
Noun
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The movie, set to release in October, follows a day in the life with Steve and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
24 June 2025
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The film follows a pivotal day in the life of headteacher Steve (Murphy, 49) and his students at a last-chance reform school amidst a world that has forsaken them.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Depending on the severity of the issue, these may trigger outreach for clarification, a corrective action plan or merchant termination.—
Rochelle Blease,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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Your voice can help spur investigations and corrective action.—
Merick T. Lewin,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This season’s cast includes a professional bull rider, event curator, marketing manager, AI consultant, aura painter, attorney and a dungeon master, among others.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
1 Aug. 2025
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Mazes captures that older feel by playing just the most important parts of the dungeon.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Noun
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Others include the operator of a flight training school in Pennsylvania.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
14 Aug. 2025
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Ground was broken on a 51-acre site in Elk Grove Village, which was just 5 miles away from O’Hare International Airport, for United Airlines’ headquarters and training schools.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Polar gulags are also the preferred place to send political prisoners who threaten the government, such as the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died under suspicious circumstances in one such prison in 2024.—
Michael Albertus,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
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Assad stayed in power by killing his own people, deploying chemical weapons and Russian bombs, and torturing and murdering them in an underground network of gulags.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
14 May 2025
Noun
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One is a stony oubliette with crystals growing out of the walls.—
Erin Alberty,
Axios,
6 Jan. 2025
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This godown was an oubliette.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harper’s Magazine ,
7 Dec. 2021
Noun
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Outlining The Men’s 100 Meter Final At USAs In the men’s final, Kenny Bednarek earned his keep with his first race under 9.8, winning in 9.79 seconds.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
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Spotify has irrevocably devalued music and locked people in for keeps while its CEO now slings money at defense contractors like a kid throwing money at Pokémon cards.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reformatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reformatory. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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