disciplinary

adjective

dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdi-sə-plə-ˌner-ē 

 especially British  ˌdi-sə-ˈpli-nə-rē

1

a

: of or relating to discipline

disciplinary problems

b

: designed to correct or punish breaches of discipline

took disciplinary action

2

: of or relating to a particular field of study

disciplinary specialization

disciplinarily

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-lē 

adverb

disciplinarity

ˌdi-sə-plə-ˈner-ə-tē 

noun

Synonyms

• castigating
• chastening
• chastising
• correcting
• correctional
• corrective
• disciplining
• penal
• penalizing
• punitive

Examples of disciplinary in a Sentence

The committee is considering disciplinary measures against him.

called for disciplinary actions in response to the outrageous behavior

Recent Examples on the Web

But this is more than just an inside-baseball story of disciplinary dialectics. —Gordon Hughes, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024

The op-ed piece published in The Post alleged that a board created by H would have final authority over disciplinary matters. —Chris Forsyth, The Denver Post, 31 Oct. 2024

An admonishment is the least severe disciplinary action the Commission on Judicial Performance can issue. —Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark and other Trump attorneys have also faced disciplinary actions that have affected their ability to practice law. —Avery Lotz, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin disciplīnārius, from Latin disciplīna "teaching, discipline entry 1" + -ārius -ary entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

disciplinary

adjective

dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdis-ə-plə-ˌner-ē 

: of or relating to discipline : corrective

take disciplinary action