Word
disciplinary
Phoneticsdis·ci·plinary
US/ˈdɪsəpɫəˌnɛɹi/
UK/dˈɪsɪplˌɪnəɹi/
Definitions
01related to rules and punishment
adj. related to the rules of a workplace or school and the punishment for breaking them.
adj. relating to the enforcement of order and the procedures used to address misconduct in a professional or institutional setting.
“The company started a disciplinary process after he was late for the third time.”
“The human resources department initiated formal disciplinary proceedings following several documented instances of professional misconduct.”
Formal
Usage
Commonly modifies nouns like 'action', 'hearing', 'procedure', or 'measure'.
Synonyms
02related to a field of study
adj. related to a specific subject or branch of knowledge, especially in a university.
adj. pertaining to a particular branch of knowledge or academic field.
“The professor has deep disciplinary knowledge in the field of chemistry.”
“The research project required a high degree of disciplinary expertise to ensure the methodology met the standards of the physics department.”
Academic
Teaching tip
This sense is most common in university settings; in general conversation, 'disciplinary' almost always refers to punishment.
03a punishment or hearing
n. a formal meeting or action taken when someone breaks the rules at work.
n. an instance of disciplinary action or a formal hearing regarding professional conduct.
“He had to attend a disciplinary because of his poor performance.”
“The union representative accompanied the employee to the disciplinary to ensure all company protocols were strictly followed.”
Formal
Real-World Examples
“After a request from the Austrian players’ union (VdF) and the global players’ union Fifpro, the Fifa disciplinary committee extended on 4 August the man’s ban from football-related activities to a global one.” “Rignol also wants his F reversed and his disciplinary records expunged.” Etymology
From Medieval Latin disciplinarius, from Latin disciplina (“instruction, teaching, field of study, habit”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/disciplinary