admonish
Americanverb (used with object)
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admonishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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admonished,
past participle, past
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admonishing
present participle
verb
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to reprove firmly but not harshly
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to advise to do or against doing something; warn; caution
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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admonishernoun
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admonishmentnoun
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admonitionnoun
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preadmonishverb (used with object)
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admonitoryadjective
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admonishinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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admonishsimple
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admonishessimple
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have admonishedperfect
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has admonishedperfect
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am admonishingprogressive
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are admonishingprogressive
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is admonishingprogressive
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have been admonishingperfect progressive
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has been admonishingperfect progressive
Past
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admonishedsimple
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had admonishedperfect
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was admonishingprogressive
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were admonishingprogressive
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had been admonishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of admonish
First recorded in 1275–1325; late Middle English admonish, amonesche, admonesse, amoness, Middle English a(d)monest (with -t later taken as past participle suffix), from Anglo-French, Old French amonester, from Vulgar Latin admonestāre (unrecorded), apparently derivative of Latin admonēre “to remind, give advice to” (source of -est- is uncertain), equivalent to ad- ad- ( def. ) + monēre “to remind, warn”; cf. monitor ( def. )
Explanation
To admonish is to scold. If you want to show someone you're not happy with his behavior, admonish him. Coming to English through Old French from the Latin admonere, "to advise, remind," admonish is always used with an eye on improving someone's behavior. The exact meaning of this formal verb varies in intensity depending generally on who is being corrected. If a child or subordinate is being admonished, it means "scold" or "rebuke" whereas if someone admonishes a person with equal standing, warn or advise are closer synonyms.
Vocabulary lists containing admonish
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The home-plate umpire paused the game to admonish Santana for coming set before Caballero was looking at him, a transgression that could result in an automatic ball being added to the count.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Antonelli complained again about Russell's driving on the slowing down lap and Wolff again came on the radio to admonish him: "Kimi, we talk about this privately, not on the radio."
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
"We stayed to guard our soil," her daughter Najat al-Nour, a Quran professor in her fifties who lifted her chin high to admonish those who left.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
Ratepayers routinely admonish state utility regulators for their high bills at public meetings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
The rock might be angry about something that people did and rejoice over some other action, the rock might admonish people or ask for favours.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Anger, John’s father admonishes him in the opening episode, is a luxury he’s not allowed.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
“Consequently, the conference is imposing a $5,000 fine and admonishes all institutions to use the “out” designation only if there are no circumstances under which a student-athlete could participate in a game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
“NEVER attempt to remove a crab from its sea shell,” the sheet admonishes.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025
The league sometimes admits mistakes and admonishes referees.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
Their mother admonishes that the content of said tales may not be entirely appropriate for a pair of just barely thirteen-year-olds, but Mme.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
He also admonished Nexstar for not providing that information in any of the hearings or in its filings with the court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
When admonished, “I must say, Mr. Burrows, you were pretty naive,” he smilingly answers, “I would say I was stupid.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
The court admonished the government and ordered it to pay legal expenses to the information commissioner.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Russell, too, was admonished by Wolff when he made a sarcastic comment about the location at which Antonelli had chosen to give back the lead after skipping the chicane.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
When Mom saw Quentin, she admonished me for being heartless and cruel to the poor boy.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Robert Mueller, who ran the FBI from 2001 to 2013, was known to adhere to Hoover’s G-man dress code of white shirts and dark suits, admonishing agents who wore something more colorful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
And on Sunday, he was admonishing himself for it.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
Look closely, and “Smile now, cry later” is etched into the clear glass below a suspended bandanna, a gently admonishing song lyric by Sunny and the Sunliners, the 1960s Chicano R&B group.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2025
On that December day, Lavin’s husband, Steve Bakunas, had been driving her to the hospital, with Lavin admonishing him not to speed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2025
Reinforce a student who’s doing what you want rather than admonishing a student who’s misbehaving.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
