reformatorynoun [ C ]
/rɪˈfɔːm.ə.tər.i//rɪˈfɔːrm.ə.tɔːr.i/US old-fashioned(especially in the past) a type of school where young people who have broken the law are sent instead of prison:
For the cab holdup, Benny was placed in a reformatory for almost two years.
reformatoryadjective
/rɪˈfɔːm.ə.tər.i//rɪˈfɔːrm.ə.tɔːr.i/intended to change something in order to make it better:
the reformatory objectives of liberal free trade