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
Relevance
as in reform school
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 reformatory
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
Anna Tingley, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
The story follows two Black teenagers who become wards of a barbaric juvenile reformatory in Jim Crow-era Florida.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for reformatory 
Adjective
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
Noun
The two-and-a-half-hour film follows two Black teenagers who become wards of a barbaric juvenile reformatory in Jim Crow-era Florida.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
The story follows two Black teenagers who become wards of a barbaric juvenile reformatory in Jim Crow-era Florida.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for reformatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reformatory
Adjective
-
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
-
While the idea of hiring actors might raise some eyebrows, acting and artistry can be an important step in the reformative process, and Hemsworth suggested that the actors’ real-life experiences helped shape their on-screen characters.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
5 Dec. 2023
Noun
-
Faith on death row functioned like reform school, though the graduates all died.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Two young Black men try to survive an infamous Florida reform school.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
The Arizona Republic,
29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Perhaps the dismay of his own fans will prove to be a corrective; in reaction to his latest wave of pro-Nazi rhetoric and overt Holocaust denialism, Reddit’s r/Kanye sub declared itself over and began filling with Holocaust awareness posts (and, more humorously, odes to Taylor Swift).—
Aja Romano,
Vox,
7 Feb. 2025
-
The company was informed that allergen ingredient information was missing during an inspection, and the recall was part of a corrective plan to address the gap.—
Abby Norman,
Verywell Health,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Creators will be able to add new quests, characters, items, and dungeons using the Creator's Kit.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
27 Jan. 2025
-
The marketers use the phrase ancient dungeons to describe a transformation that pays tribute to the castle’s mysterious past.—
Ann Abel,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The GoFundMe raised more than $67,000 over its first two days, including large donations from the Idaho Medical Academy, emergency training school Idaho CPR Plus, and Meridian, Middleton, Star and Kuna firefighter unions.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2025
-
Today, women have successfully passed almost all military training schools, subject to the same physical standards as their male counterparts.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
20 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
That is a memoir by Kang Chol-hwan about the North Korean gulag.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
15 Jan. 2025
-
Now as then, letters from the gulags tell of eternal winters, cold cells, and the longing for the first signs of greenery to appear amid the thaw.—
Francesca Mastruzzo (Tr. Elettra Pauletto),
The Dial,
14 Jan. 2024
Noun
-
One is a stony oubliette with crystals growing out of the walls.—
Erin Alberty,
Axios,
6 Jan. 2025
-
This godown was an oubliette.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harper’s Magazine ,
7 Dec. 2021
Noun
-
Our editors and contributors have tested several kinds of platform beds over the years, and have some thoughts on what’s for keeps, and what squeaks enough to do without.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
30 Jan. 2025
-
It’s all set against the stunning backdrop of the original keep, built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a third-century Roman fort.—
Jamie Carter,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near reformatory
Cite this Entry
“Reformatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reformatory. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share