admonitory

adjective ad·mon·i·to·ry \ əd-ˈmä-nə-ˌtȯr-ē \

Definition of admonitory

: expressing admonition : warning

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admonitorily

play \-ˌmä-nə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē\ adverb

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Examples of admonitory in a Sentence

admonitory articles abound around Halloween, warning parents of the hazards of trick-or-treating

Recent Examples of admonitory from the Web

The majority of the pieces were delivered as lectures at churches, seminaries and universities; thus, most have the distinctly instructive and at times admonitory tone of that kind of educational talk to an audience.

— kathleen rooney, chicagotribune.com, "'What Are We Doing Here?' Marilynne Robinson considers our political moment through the lens of faith," 16 Feb. 2018
Those seeking a more sobering perspective on the toxic highs of celebrity may want to make the pilgrimage to the Boston area, the cradle of admonitory American puritanism.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "The Pain of Fame, With Sondheim, Warhol and Capote as Guides," 6 Oct. 2017
Their messages were by turns romantic, topical, admonitory and devout, while the music was hypnotically danceable.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "William Onyeabor, Reclusive African Electro-Funk Pioneer, Dies at 70," 19 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'admonitory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of admonitory

borrowed from Medieval Latin admonitōrius, from Latin admoni- (variant stem of admonēre "to admonish") + -tōrius, adjectival derivative of -tor, agent suffix

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1577

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year