admonish

[ ad-mon-ish ]

/ ædˈmɒn ɪʃ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR admonish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to caution, advise, or counsel against something.

to reprove or scold, especially in a mild and good-willed manner: The teacher admonished him about excessive noise.

to urge to a duty; remind: to admonish them about their obligations.

Nearby words

admittance, admittedly, admittee, admix, admixture, admonish, admonition, admonitor, admonitory, admov., adn

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

SYNONYMS FOR admonish

2 rebuke, censure, upbraid.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR admonish ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ad·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

Synonym study

1. See warn. 2. See reprimand.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for admonishing

He made an admonishing speech to Wall Street last week, but it was a day late and a trillion dollars short.
Why Mouthing Off Is All the Rage|Tina Brown|September 21, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Now, let us sum up the three arguments Peter uses in admonishing Christians to patience in suffering.
Epistle Sermons, Vol. II|Martin Luther
They left the room after admonishing the policeman on guard to remain on the alert for any attempt to free the wounded man.
Agent Nine and the Jewel Mystery|Graham M. Dean
She flashed one admonishing glance at him and towards the woman who bent over his hand.
The Bondwoman|Marah Ellis Ryan

He himself had just flung away the stump of his cigar and was admonishing his son-in-law.
The Grey Room|Eden Phillpotts
Others, after the event, imagined that they were caused by the jealous or admonishing spirit of her dead sister.
Cock Lane and Common-Sense|Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for admonishing

admonish

/ (ədˈmɒnɪʃ) /

verb (tr)

to reprove firmly but not harshly

to advise to do or against doing something; warn; caution

Derived Forms

admonisher or admonitor, nounadmonition (ˌædməˈnɪʃən), nounadmonitory, adjective

Word Origin for admonish

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