admonitory
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of admonitory
From the Medieval Latin word admonitōrius, dating back to 1585–95. See ad-, monitory
Explanation
Something that's admonitory is meant to correct or scold. If you're caught throwing paper airplanes in class, your teacher will probably give you an admonitory lecture. Use the adjective admonitory to describe something that's done in a warning or reproachful way. When kids are loud in the library, the librarian might shush them in an admonitory way. If your piano teacher always finds fault with your playing, she is consistently admonitory. The root of admonitory is the verb admonish, which means "to scold or reprimand." The Latin origin of both is admonere, "remind or suggest," but also "warn or urge."
Vocabulary lists containing admonitory
The Innocents Abroad
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David Copperfield
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Bleak House
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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.
A piratical pastor in a boxcar and two rich, tuxedoed drunks on the same train are like admonitory bookends on the subjects of class and self-determination.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2021
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also head of the Chinese military, gave an admonitory address at a naval review in the South China Sea in April, calling for efforts to build a world-class navy.
From Washington Times ● May 16, 2018
She is often admonitory, self-reflective, and maternal in the span of a single column.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 26, 2016
Justice Served, Justice Blurred MGM began production of its long-running series of admonitory shorts, “Crime Does Not Pay,” in 1935, the first full year in which the newly invigorated Production Code was in force.
From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2012
At last, Narcissa hurried up a street named Spinner’s End, over which the towering mill chimney seemed to hover like a giant admonitory finger.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
