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

The cases had already been investigated and substantiated by the Civilian Complaint Review Board and were sent to the NYPD for disciplinary action. —Eric Umansky, ProPublica, 31 Mar. 2025

These resources offer detailed information on licensing, registration status, past disciplinary actions, and customer complaints. —True Tamplin, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Fort Leavenworth also housed POWs in its disciplinary barracks. —Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025

However, the disciplinary action has sparked criticism, with many questioning whether a 24-hour suspension adequately addresses the excessive force used against McAlpin. —Essence, 28 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for disciplinary

• accretionary
• apothecary
• bicentenary
• certiorari
• concessionary
• concretionary
• confectionary
• confectionery
• constabulary
• contemporary
• deflationary
• depositary

Kids Definition

disciplinary

adjective

dis·​ci·​plin·​ary ˈdis-ə-plə-ˌner-ē 

: of or relating to discipline : corrective

take disciplinary action