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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"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
"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
But Mr Costello's testimony was contradicted by his own emails, and in an unusual and chaotic moment, a furious Justice Merchan cleared the courtroom so he could admonish Costello about his behaviour on the stand.
From BBC ● May 30, 2024
Bailey sat down beside me, and that time didn’t admonish me not to cry.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
“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
Although Yaba also laments that no one excelling in his stage of the game, he also admonishes his pal, “You shouldn’t use this world for your own pleasure.”
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 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
The kindness gives way a moment when he snaps his fingers and curtly admonishes the guardias for not putting out chairs for his guests.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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
Or, as Patchett’s mother once admonished after the failure of her daughter’s first marriage: “Stop trying to make everything permanent. It doesn’t work.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 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
“Don’t talk about your father like that on Christmas Eve. Shame on you,” Mrs. Meecham admonished.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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
My adolescent memories ring with the sounds of Stiller admonishing his son-in-law and crying mutiny at a shopping mall pretzel shop.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2025
But she also wagged an admonishing finger as she complained of continuing captivity and the Israeli government’s failure to act to free her and the others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2024
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.
