admonished
Americanadjective
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rebuked or reminded of one’s duty, especially in a mild manner or with good will.
As she spoke, the employee looked down and kicked the dirt like an admonished child.
Tears came not from the admonished four-year-old who had destroyed the elaborate sandcastle, but from my dad, who had built it.
-
cautioned or advised against something; warned.
A previously admonished person entering the premises without the owner’s written authorization shall be deemed to be trespassing.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of admonished
First recorded in 1590–1600; admonish ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; admonish ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
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.
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
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
“If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth,” he admonished the pontiff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
“Amy, dear, don’t talk with your mouth full,” the woman who must have been Amy’s mother admonished.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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.
