Synonyms for discipline
- noun
- verb
Most common
punishment chastisement censure sanction field of study study field specialism
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Punishment — A controlled behaviour; self-control. A punishment to train or maintain control
punishment, chastisement, censure, sanction, penalty, castigation, punition dated
2. Field of study
4. Specialty — A specific branch of knowledge, learning, or practice. A category in which a certain art, sport or other…
specialty US AU CA, speciality UK, specialism
Other
correction, training, order, restraint, strictness, instruction, regulation, break, form, forme US, government, subjection, breeding
Verb
1. Train
train, school, teach, exercise, drill, control, cultivate, nurture, condition, prepare, govern, educate, breed, instruct, bring up, regulate, check, groom, rear
Other
disciplinate dated
Definitions
- n. 1
A controlled behaviour; self-control. A punishment to train or maintain control.
- n. 2
A specific branch of knowledge, learning, or practice.
Near-synonyms: specialty, speciality, specialism
- v. 1
To train someone by instruction and practice.
- v. 2
To teach someone to obey authority.
Related words
- Word family
- disciple disciplinal disciplinary disciplinarian disciplined disciplinable
- Phrases
- petticoat discipline
Forms
- Plural
- disciplines → punishments, chastisements, censures, sanctions…
- Past participle
- disciplined
e.g. disciplined → trained, schooled, exercised, drilled…
Choose the right word
Discipline is systematic and rigorous training, with the idea of subjection to authority and perhaps of punishment. We speak of the teaching, training, or discipline, but not of the education or tuition of a dog or a horse.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- punishment In my family, the punishment for lying was severe.
- sanction They will not sanction copying without permission.
- censure I proposed a vote of censure on the government.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| discipline | steady | |
| punishment | steady | |
| sanction | falling | |
| censure | steady | |
| chastisement | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- form1, rear1
- 5 letters
- order2, study2, check1, field1, break1, train1, teach1, drill1, breed1, groom1, forme
- 6 letters
- school1, punish2, sphere1, govern2
- 7 letters
- control2, subject2, correct2, penalty3, prepare2, educate3, nurture2, censure2, chasten2
- 8 letters
- training2, exercise3, breeding2, regulate3, sanction2, instruct2, chastise2, punition
- 9 letters
- condition3, specialty3, restraint2, cultivate3, bailiwick3, castigate3
- 10 letters
- government3, regulation4, punishment3, correction3, speciality5, subjection, specialism, strictness
- 11 letters
- instruction3, castigation
- 12 letters
- chastisement, disciplinate
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (order2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- discipline
- Italiano
- disciplina
- Español
- disciplina
- Deutsch
- Disziplin
- Català
- disciplina