admonished
Americanadjective
-
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.
Admonished for not knowing Knut Wicksell’s theory of the natural rate of interest, I quickly brushed up.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
Admonished by his mother to put others first, he rarely used the personal pronoun “I,” a quirk exploited by comedian Dana Carvey in his “Saturday Night Live” impressions of the president.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2018
Admonished for false modesty when he did not respond, Eddington replied that, on the contrary, he was trying to think of who the third person was.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 4, 2017
Admonished for false modesty when he didn’t respond, Eddington replied that, on the contrary, he was trying to think of who the third person was.
From New York Times • Jul. 31, 2017
Admonished by the lateness of the hour, Howard almost ran.
From Adrift in the Wilds or, The Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys by Ellis, Edward Sylvester
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.
