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
The 45-year-old wife, accused of being the primary disciplinarian, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while the 43-year-old husband received a 10-year sentence.
—
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for disciplinarian
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for disciplinarian
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disciplinarian
Noun
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Scott Cobb was the getaway driver, and Philip Copeland was the enforcer sent to make sure the murder took place.—
Graham Rayman,
New York Daily News,
8 July 2025
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During the show's opening segment, Heyman took the microphone after his enforcers, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, had laid out challenges to the Raw roster.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 2025
Noun
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On July 13, taskmaster Saturn will station retrograde in Aries, presenting the opportunity to recalibrate and refocus.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
12 July 2025
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Revolutionize management: Move from taskmaster to coach.—
Lori Huss,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Noun
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Talks between Israel and Syria are ongoing, which would have been unthinkable during the reign of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, whose partnership with Iran and insistence that Israel hand over the Golan Heights to Damascus in exchange for normalization nipped any détente in the bud.—
Daniel R. DePetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
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The uniform marks him as a firefighter from the old regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024 after a nearly 14-year civil war.—
Lauren Frayer,
NPR,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disciplinarian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disciplinarian. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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