admonish

verb

ad·​mon·​ish ad-ˈmä-nish How to pronounce admonish (audio)
admonished; admonishing; admonishes

transitive verb

1
a
: to indicate duties or obligations to
b
: to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner
were admonished for being late
2
: to give friendly earnest advice or encouragement to
admonished them to be careful
… users are admonished to change passwords regularly …Mark Pothier
3
: to say (something) as advice or a warning
The sign admonished, "Watch your step."
"Please be silent while I tell my story," LaPautre admonished.Louise Erdrich
admonisher noun
plural admonishers
admonishment noun
plural admonishments

Did you know?

When should you use admonish?

We won't admonish you if you don't know the origins of this word—its current meanings have strayed slightly from its history. Admonish was borrowed in the 14th century (via Anglo-French amonester) from Vulgar Latin admonestāre, which itself is probably a derivative of admonestus, the past participle of the Latin verb admonēre, meaning "to warn."  Admonēre, in turn, was formed by the combination of the prefix ad- and monēre, "to warn." Other descendants of monēre in English include monitor, monitory ("giving a warning"), premonition, and an archaic synonym of admonish, monish. Incidentally, admonish has a number of other synonyms as well, including reprove, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, and chide.

Choose the Right Synonym for admonish

reprove, rebuke, reprimand, admonish, reproach, chide mean to criticize adversely.

reprove implies an often kindly intent to correct a fault.

gently reproved my table manners

rebuke suggests a sharp or stern reproof.

the papal letter rebuked dissenting clerics

reprimand implies a severe, formal, often public or official rebuke.

reprimanded by the ethics committee

admonish suggests earnest or friendly warning and counsel.

admonished by my parents to control expenses

reproach and chide suggest displeasure or disappointment expressed in mild reproof or scolding.

reproached him for tardiness
chided by their mother for untidiness

Examples of admonish in a Sentence

"You landed in back of him," said Paul, my guide and friend. As he admonished me, the fish turned obligingly, opened its mouth, wide and white, and engulfed my fly. Peter Kaminsky, New York Times, 17 June 2001
He is sympathetic but never condescending, or patronizing, or moralizing. His purpose is not to admonish or deplore but to understand. C. Vann Woodward, New York Times Book Review, 5 Feb. 1989
Cops are, from the first day in the academy, admonished that juveniles must not be shot unless in dire emergency … Joseph Wambaugh, Lines and Shadows, 1984
They were admonished to take advantage of the opportunity. my physician is always admonishing me to eat more healthy foods
Recent Examples on the Web Preparing for regulatory scrutiny Paytm's history of being admonished by the RBI since 2018 indicates that fintech companies should understand the impact of regulatory scrutiny. Nandan Sheth, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 When he was authorized to break the law as part of his informant work, he was admonished on five occasions to not obstruct justice, including by fabricating evidence, lying or tampering with witnesses, the indictment states. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024 The suspect refused to leave the property after being admonished and was placed under arrest for trespassing. Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 Once the jurors were chosen, Marlowe Sommer admonished them not to do their own research or read media coverage about the case. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Feb. 2024 The State Commission on Judicial Conduct determined in 2022 that Nolen should be publicly admonished for failing to cooperate with the commission’s investigation of two complaints. Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2024 Fortunately for the Terps — or perhaps unfortunately, depending on one’s point of view — Willard doesn’t seem to be the type to admonish his players and rein in their attempts from the deeper parts of the floor. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2024 Her benefits were reinstated after the judge admonished the state for the long waits during a March 2022 hearing. Katheryn Houghton, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2023 Earlier this year, federal judge Ana Reyes admonished Jan. 6 defendant Karol Chwiesiuk, a former Chicago police officer, and his sister Agnieszka, for their actions that day. Madeleine May, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'admonish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English amonysshen, admonisshen, amonescen, alteration (with assimilation to the verbal suffix -issh, -esce, borrowed from Anglo-French -iss-, going back to the Latin inceptive suffix -ēsc-, -īsc-) of amonesten, borrowed from Anglo-French amonester, going back to Vulgar Latin *admonestāre, probably derivative of *admonestus, past participle of Latin admonēre "to give a reminder to, give advice to, caution" (modeled on comestus, past participle of comedere "to eat up, consume") from ad- ad- + monēre "to bring to the notice of, give warning" — more at mind entry 1

Note: The source of *admonestāre is uncertain. A cross between admonēre and molestāre, "to disturb, annoy, worry," has been hypothesized, though the lack of any Romance progeny for molestus, molestāre, etc., militates against the presence of this verb in proto-Romance.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of admonish was in the 14th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near admonish

Cite this Entry

“Admonish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admonish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

admonish

verb
ad·​mon·​ish ad-ˈmän-ish How to pronounce admonish (audio)
1
: to criticize or warn gently but seriously : warn of a fault
2
: to give friendly advice or encouragement to
admonished them to keep trying
admonishment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on admonish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!