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
Essence, 13 Feb. 2025
On the cusp of college, he’s instead sentenced to time at a notorious reformatory.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
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
James Thompson remembered the words of the state psychologist he was required to visit weekly in Charlotte after being released from the state reformatory.
—Essence, 13 Feb. 2025
On the cusp of college, he’s instead sentenced to time at a notorious reformatory.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
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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Porter’s original story was told from the perspective of Shy, a troubled teenager at a reform school, the final stop before prison.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
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Operated by the title character, Steve — into whom lead actor Cillian Murphy channels all sorts of irreconcilable conflict — this is the reform school of last resort.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The fine is certainly a drop in the bucket for the entertainment giant, but the corrective measure is certainly a win for data privacy.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In such a scenario, reminiscent of the ‘70s, if the Fed loosens policy prematurely, inflation could spike, leading to the painful corrective measures seen under Powell’s predecessor Paul Volcker, who hiked rates aggressively and weathered severe, double-dip recessions.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Double whatever dungeon loot there’s going to be.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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And so there's this castle that has these massive dungeons .—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
27 Aug. 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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Adam Penner, president of Harv’s Air pilot training school, said the two students, a man and a woman, were practicing takeoffs and landings.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
9 July 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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Honestly, video doorbells earn their keep just by catching package drops and raccoons with attitude.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Zubimendi was leading the keep-ball in front of the defence.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reformatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reformatory. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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