as in enforcer
a person who is very strict about punishing bad behavior; a person who uses discipline as a way of making sure that rules or orders are obeyed
The school's principal is a strict disciplinarian.
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Recent Examples of disciplinarian
There are no old-school disciplinarians in the NFL any longer, but Campbell’s success is based on toughness, winning the one-on-one battles and gambling that his team will be successful on fourth-down plays.
—
Steve Silverman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Then again, look across the NFL landscape and find an old-school disciplinarian prowling a sideline.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2024
Both were industrious strivers at work and strict disciplinarians at home.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
After three years with John Fox, Pace didn’t need to fully reset the culture inside Halas Hall and bring in an experienced disciplinarian because Fox had helped clean up the mess left behind by the Phil Emery/Marc Trestman administration.
—Adam Jahns, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disciplinarian
Steve Silverman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
Then again, look across the NFL landscape and find an old-school disciplinarian prowling a sideline.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2024
Both were industrious strivers at work and strict disciplinarians at home.
—Danielle Amir Jackson, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
After three years with John Fox, Pace didn’t need to fully reset the culture inside Halas Hall and bring in an experienced disciplinarian because Fox had helped clean up the mess left behind by the Phil Emery/Marc Trestman administration.
—Adam Jahns, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disciplinarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disciplinarian
Noun
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Dutton-family enforcer Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) opened a cooler with an agitated rattlesnake onto the unsuspecting Roarke, who was bitten in the face and dramatically died from the venom.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
25 May 2025
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Earlier this year, Trump’s top enforcer on border issues, Tom Homan, suggested the Pope was a hypocrite.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Boselli and his teammates, coached by prickly taskmaster Tom Coughlin, saw it differently.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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May comes to a close with taskmaster Saturn entering your sign, for the first time since 1999.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
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In theory, Lee and Trump are well suited as a pair to wrangle the North Korean dictator.—
John Delury,
Foreign Affairs,
3 June 2025
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Individual rights shield us from the initiation of physical force – whether by tax collectors, or dictators threatening us with missiles.—
Ben Bayer,
Oc Register,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disciplinarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disciplinarian. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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