admonished

[ad-mon-isht]

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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

1. the simple past tense and past participle of admonish.

Other Word Forms

• unadmonished adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of admonished¹

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

After some staffers complained, Dokoupil was admonished by CBS News leadership on an editorial call that the Free Press posted online.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’re under invasion from within,” the president admonished generals and admirals gathered in the auditorium.

From Los Angeles Times

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was admonished after entering other judges’ chambers and going through their papers and computers, according to a state commission.

From Los Angeles Times

My mother had always admonished me to date nice Jewish girls.

From Los Angeles Times

UCLA’s outlook over the suit dimmed beginning about a year ago, when the federal judge overseeing the case admonished campus leaders for how they handled the encampment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• advise 
• berate 
• censure 
• chide 
• enjoin 
• exhort 
• rebuke 
• reprimand 
• scold 
• upbraid 
• warn