reformatory

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɹəˈfɔɹməˌtɔɹi/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈfɔː(ɹ)mətəɹi/, /ɹɪˈfɔː(ɹ)mətɹi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

reformatory (comparative more reformatory, superlative most reformatory)

1. Of, pertaining to, or conducive to reform; reformative.
   • 2019, Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys, Fleet, page 49:

     Other reformatory schools might not strike that balance between reform and education.

Noun

reformatory (plural reformatories)

1. A prison, especially one for juveniles; a reform school.
   • 2019, Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys, Fleet, page 45:

     It was the nicest-looking property Elwood had ever seen—a real school, a good one, not the forbidding reformatory he’d conjured the last few weeks.

Synonyms

• (for juveniles): reform school, borstal, approved school, youth detention centre, juvenile hall, detention home

Translations

juvenile institution — see reform school

Further reading

• reformatory on Wikipedia.Wikipedia