discipline

Pluraldisciplines (some meanings)

Formsdisciplines, disciplining, disciplined

1. 1
   self-controlnoununcountable

   Controlled behavior and the capacity for self-control.

   Maintaining a daily writing habit requires considerable discipline.

   His discipline in training set him apart from the other athletes.

   UsageOften it takes discipline to do something; self-discipline means much the same and is very common.

   Similarself-control, willpower, self-restraint, restraint, rigor

   Oppositeindiscipline, laxity, self-indulgence

   Note

   John Rogers, writing before 1729, says even the most perfect, "who have their passions in the best discipline", must stay on guard. That kind of discipline is kept up day by day, never finished. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • John Rogers wrote the quoted words before 1729, saying that even the most perfect must remain on guard. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   field of studynouncountable

   A particular field of knowledge, study, or practice, such as sociology or law.

   Sociology emerged as a distinct discipline in the nineteenth century.

   Researchers from several disciplines collaborated on the project.

   Similarfield, subject, area, branch, specialty

   Note

   The scholarly sense stays closest to the Latin "instruction" behind the self-control meaning: a discipline is a field one is taught. It pluralizes and takes modifiers freely, as in academic disciplines, or John Wilkins's "mathematical discipline" of 1648. The Economist in 2013 called economics a messy discipline, "too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • The word derives ultimately from Latin disciplina, meaning “instruction”. en.wiktionary.org
   • John Wilkins used “mathematical discipline” in Mathematical Magick. en.wiktionary.org
   • The cited work was first published in 1648; its first-edition title page bears that year. archive.org
   • The Economist described economics in 2013 using the quoted wording. openlab.citytech.cuny.edu
3. 3
   event typenouncountable

   A category to which a particular art, sport, or activity belongs.

   She competes in three disciplines across the winter games.

   The festival celebrated every artistic discipline from painting to dance.

   Similarevent, category, field, form

4. 4
   punishverbtransitive

   To punish someone in order to regain or maintain control.

   Management disciplined the employee for repeated absences.

   Schools discipline pupils who disrupt the class.

   UsageYou discipline someone for what they did, as in disciplined for lateness.

   Similarpunish, penalize, reprimand, chastise, sanction

   Oppositereward, praise, commend

5. 5
   punishmentnoununcountable

   A punishment used to train someone or maintain control.

   The soldier accepted his discipline without complaint.

   Repeated lateness led to formal discipline at work.

   UsageUsually with no article: students face discipline, workers get formal discipline.

   Similarpunishment, penalty, sanction, correction, chastisement

   Oppositereward

   Note

   Punishment with a purpose: discipline in this sense corrects in order to train. In 1712 Joseph Addison has Will Honeycomb write of "the discipline of the strap", naming the instrument after of, a handy pattern for the means of punishment. Today the word covers formal action at work as readily as a beating, and the verb of punishing is its active counterpart. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • The quoted passage was published in 1712. gutenberg.org
   • The passage is in Joseph Addison's Spectator No. 499, in a fictional letter attributed to Will Honeycomb. gutenberg.org
   • The passage contains the words “the discipline of the strap”. gutenberg.org
6. 6
   noununcountable

   Order and obedience maintained in a group by enforcing rules and authority.

   The regime maintained discipline through constant surveillance.

   Harsh discipline forced the workers into silence.

   UsageYou keep or maintain discipline; it can be strict, tight or harsh.

   Similarorder, control, obedience, regimentation

   Oppositedisorder, chaos, anarchy, lawlessness

7. 7
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A system of rules or methods that regulates behavior and trains people to obey.

   Military discipline governs nearly every aspect of a recruit's day.

   The club enforced a strict discipline on its members.

   Similarregime, regimen, code

8. 8
   verbtransitive

   To train someone to obey authority, or to bring people under order and control.

   The academy disciplined cadets to obey without question.

   The new captain worked hard to discipline the unruly crew and restore order on the ship.

   Similartrain, drill, control, regiment, school

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