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
-
to reprove firmly but not harshly
-
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
-
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
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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:
As a preliminary matter, the Court finds it necessary to admonish Plaintiff’s counsel for their unprofessionalism and incivility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 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
“Instead, we felt it was beneficial to just admonish ‘Pickles’ for running from officers!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2024
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
I’ve got to realize that when they continually admonish me to speak and write simply so that people who read these reports will be able to understand me, they are talking about themselves as well.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
“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
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
There’s established law there, and trial courts have, on the whole, held, and when they haven’t, they’ve been admonished or overturned on appeal.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
She served as lead attorney in the E. Jean Carroll case, during which the judge admonished her repeatedly for her poor legal skills.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
Professor Derek Manas, the medical director of NHS Blood and Transplant, admonished NHS England for creating a system with a burnt-out workforce, "few consequences for poor performance" and operations cancelled "last-minute".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 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
Thus admonished, she crept forward again until she was near the edge of the cabinet.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
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
"BASIL!" - the unmistakable sound of Sybil Fawlty admonishing her pompous and incompetent husband, is probably how Prunella Scales will best be remembered.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 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
“Heart attack. His second,” Tariq’s mother said, giving her husband an admonishing look.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
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