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discipline

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word discipline distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of discipline are castigate, chasten, chastise, correct, and punish. While all these words mean "to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing," discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

When is castigate a more appropriate choice than discipline?

The meanings of castigate and discipline largely overlap; however, castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

When would chasten be a good substitute for discipline?

The synonyms chasten and discipline are sometimes interchangeable, but chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

When can chastise be used instead of discipline?

While the synonyms chastise and discipline are close in meaning, chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

When might correct be a better fit than discipline?

While in some cases nearly identical to discipline, correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

When is it sensible to use punish instead of discipline?

The words punish and discipline can be used in similar contexts, but punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

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 discipline
Noun
That effort has also involved working to build student-teacher relationships, offering alternative forms of discipline, training educators on implicit bias implicit-bias and using restorative-justice coaches to help improve conflict resolution. Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2025 And this is a kind of discipline that holds the whole thing together. Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
Verb
In the wake of the tariffs, which McMillon noted would result in price increases on some goods, Walmart has been under pressure to remain disciplined in managing inventory. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 16 May 2025 Students with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to discrimination by private schools and are disproportionately disciplined and excluded by charter schools. Kevin Sabet, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for discipline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for discipline
Noun
  • The city of New Orleans and its police department urged residents and visitors to stay vigilant during the manhunt and report any suspicious activity, WDSU reported.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 19 May 2025
  • Then, there was no mass exodus, department veterans say.
    Ryan Lucas, NPR, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • School personnel also would be prohibited from referring truant students to police to be ticketed as punishment.
    Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 28 May 2025
  • The punishment was far less than the maximum six-month sentence sought by the government but more than the probation that Papadopoulos and his lawyers had asked for.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • After George Floyd was killed in 2020, many police departments across the country banned or restricted the knee-on-neck restraint.
    Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 27 May 2025
  • Rickson stages both plays with elegant restraint, arranging just a few bits of furniture in front of a bare brick wall.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • The United States halted a punishing bombing campaign against the Houthis this month, saying the rebels had pledged to stop attacking ships.
    Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
  • The penalty is a mere $200 fine, and members have not been punished for said violations.
    Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 25 May 2025
Noun
  • On May 8, a hunter discovered human remains on Cedar Mountain, and after alerting authorities about the finding, law enforcement responded to the area and retrieved them, the Kane County Sheriff's Office reported this week.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 22 May 2025
  • The whale had, at most, 180 retinal ganglion cells per square millimeter; humans, meanwhile, have up to about 40,000 in the same area.
    Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • What are penalties for selling stuff without a permit? Selling things in California without a valid seller’s permit can get you into legal trouble, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
    Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 21 May 2025
  • The penalty for first-time marijuana users can be as severe as up to five years in prison, even if the consumption occurred while the offender was overseas in a place where the drug is legal.
    Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • For Black Americans, the history of repression of education runs even deeper.
    Karida L. Brown, Essence, 21 May 2025
  • After 2012, when Putin returned to the presidency, the Kremlin began tightening its grip on Russia’s elites, embracing an archaic militarism, and widening its repression of civil society.
    ANDREI YAKOVLEV, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • Meanwhile, a personal tragedy shakes Colin into consciousness, the only element that manages to pierce Ray’s exterior long enough to let his sub in.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 May 2025
  • The common element is that a single federal judge in one of 94 regional districts paused a policy for the entire country while the case is being litigated.
    Bart Jansen, USA Today, 18 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Discipline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/discipline. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

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