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admonish

[ad-mon-ish]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to caution, advise, or counsel against something.
  2. to reprove or scold, especially in a mild and good-willed manner: The teacher admonished him about excessive noise.
  3. to urge to a duty; remind: to admonish them about their obligations.
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Origin of admonish

1275–1325; late Middle English admonish, amonesche, admonesse, amoness, Middle English a(d)monest (with -t later taken as past participle suffix) < Anglo-French, Old French amonester < Vulgar Latin *admonestāre, apparently derivative of Latin admonēre to remind, give advice to (source of -est- uncertain), equivalent to ad- ad- + monēre to remind, warn
Related formsad·mon·ish·er, nounad·mon·ish·ing·ly, adverbad·mon·ish·ment, nounpre·ad·mon·ish, verb (used with object)un·ad·mon·ished, adjective

Synonyms

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2. rebuke, censure, upbraid.

Synonym study

1. See warn. 2. See reprimand.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for admonish

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The Sheikh is come to admonish Khalid, not to return his visit.

    The Book of Khalid

    Ameen Rihani

  • I would address you frankly and admonish you to go no more into such places.

    An Outcast

    F. Colburn Adams

  • Let him admonish, let him teach, let him forbid what is improper!

  • But does not the past admonish those of us who are Preachers and Teachers?

    Broken Bread

    Thomas Champness

  • That means: we teach in vain, we admonish in vain; the world has no desire to be better.

British Dictionary definitions for admonish

admonish

verb (tr)
  1. to reprove firmly but not harshly
  2. to advise to do or against doing something; warn; caution
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Derived Formsadmonisher or admonitor, nounadmonition (ˌædməˈnɪʃən), nounadmonitory, adjective

Word Origin

C14: via Old French from Vulgar Latin admonestāre (unattested), from Latin admonēre to put one in mind of, from monēre to advise
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for admonish

v.

mid-14c., amonesten "remind, urge, exhort, warn, give warning," from Old French amonester (12c.) "urge, encourage, warn," from Vulgar Latin *admonestare, from Latin admonere "bring to mind, remind, suggest;" also "warn, advise, urge," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + monere "advise, warn" (see monitor (n.)).

The -d- was restored on Latin model. The ending was influenced by words in -ish (e.g. astonish, abolish). Related: Admonished; admonishing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper