admonition
Americannoun
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admonitions
plural
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an act of admonishing.
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counsel, advice, or caution.
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a gentle reproof.
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a warning or reproof given by an ecclesiastical authority.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of admonition
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin admonitiōn- (stem of admonitiō ); see ad-, monition; replacing late Middle English amonicioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin; see admonish
Explanation
Bringing a skateboard to school is a great way to get an admonition from a teacher not to ride it down the halls. An admonition is advice with a hint of scolding, a warning not to do something. When you're cautioned or warned about some mistake you might be just about to make, or some looming danger, you're receiving an admonition. The strength and tone of an admonition determine whether it's a gentle, polite suggestion or more of a stern warning. In Scotland, an admonition is an official legal term that means a verbal punishment for someone who's been found guilty but set free.
Vocabulary lists containing admonition
The Giver
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The Diary of a Young Girl
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Metamorphosis
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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.
See Examples For:
"You have no previous convictions and I have taken the view that admonition is appropriate."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The vice president adhered to Biden’s admonition that there be “no daylight” between the two of them as she campaigned for president after he withdrew from the race.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
It is also consistent with the Supreme Court’s admonition that the touchstone of the Fourth Amendment is whether the search or seizure is “reasonable,” not whether it is supported by a judicial warrant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
Jessica Lautz, vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors, offers this admonition to homeowners selling for the first time in years: “It’s a very different housing market today.”
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025
He issued instructions that anticipated by many years Louis Sullivan’s famous admonition that form must follow function.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Given the IRS’s guidance and admonitions, tax professionals said, most taxpayers didn’t roll the dice on that literal reading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
The admonitions in Geismer’s book, published three years ago, cogently apply to the present and future.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2025
Criminologists tend to speak in caveats, with warning of reversion to the mean and admonitions to wait for better data, but even they must admit: These are some eye-catching numbers.
From Slate ● May 7, 2025
Despite decades of admonitions from nutritionists and environmentalists to “eat locally, think globally,” our collective diets are more international than ever.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 26, 2024
She led him out of her office and up the stone stairs, calling out instructions and admonitions to helpers and children as she passed.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
