Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A penal institution for the discipline, reformation, and training of young or first offenders.
- adjective Reformative.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having a tendency to reform or renovate; reformative.
- noun An institution for the reception and reformation of youths who have already begun a career of vice or crime.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Tending to produce reformation; reformative.
- noun An institution for promoting the reformation of offenders.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Of, pertaining to, or
conducive toreform ;reformative . - noun A
prison , especially one forjuveniles ; areform school .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective tending to reform
- noun correctional institution for the detention and discipline and training of young or first offenders
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word reformatory.
Examples
-
This idea of the United Nations as a reformatory is an illusion.
-
Miss Susan B. Anthony, a well-known, indefatigable, and lifelong advocate of temperance, anti-slavery, and woman's rights, has been, since 1851, Mrs. Stanton's intimate associate in reformatory labors.
-
And he was sent to the Oklahoma state reformatory, which is within my jurisdiction.
-
But the reformatory was a horse of a totally different color.
-
But at this so-called reformatory 59 occupations were represented by the inmates,
-
He recalled the reformatory -- and also what to him was the most awful thing he had ever heard about the State penitentiary -- they never saw the sun rise down there, and they never saw it set.
-
Reformation in individual cases may take place under the most adverse circumstances; but an institution cannot be called reformatory unless its prevailing moral sentiment is actively, vigorously, and always, on the side of progress and virtue.
-
The report said there were 215 corrections officers for 780 inmates at the reformatory, which is considered adequate staff.
-
The report said there were 215 corrections officers for 780 inmates at the reformatory, which is considered adequate staff.
-
How about a sting at your daughter's high school, with a year in some nasty reformatory, which is to say any reformatory, for those caught?
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.