admonished

verb

past tense of admonish
1
as in reprimanded
to criticize (someone) usually gently so as to correct a fault admonished her for littering

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in advised
to give advice to my physician is always admonishing me to eat more healthy foods

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of admonished So if ever you are admonished for omitting the fish in a Caesar, point your mistaken scold to Tijuana. — Drew Goins, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026 Marsh, the judge who presided over the trial, repeatedly admonished Basabe for bringing up things that the court had previously ruled he wasn’t allowed to mention. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026 The senator even admonished Republican staffers who were protesting outside a DC meeting between the candidate and Senate Democrats. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 7 July 2026 The judge overseeing the wrongful death civil case that John O'Keefe's family filed against Karen Read admonished more than a dozen lawyers involved in the case on Wednesday. — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Beyond failing to qualify for the 2024 Euros, Barbarez admonished the association’s leadership for its 2022 decision to schedule friendlies with Russia soon after it was banned by FIFA and UEFA for invading Ukraine. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 Stiller responded — but not before Smith was admonished by Shaquille O’Neal, who was also part of the pregame panel and let Smith know that the lifelong Knicks fan had not yet announced his project. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026 The caller stopped a man from shoplifting and admonished him. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 9 June 2026 At one point, Crabtree admonished them to stop talking over each other. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for admonished
  1. reprimanded
  2. advised
  3. scolded
  4. warned
  5. criticized
  6. taught
  7. blamed
Verb
  • She was vilified and reprimanded for ACTUALLY taking a courageous stance against men in women’s sports and spaces.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
  • The league reprimanded the Aces for impermissible player benefits in 2023, docking Las Vegas a 2025 first-round draft pick, so stripping more draft capital as a punishment would not have been unprecedented.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 July 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • Fauci is appearing in front of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs under a subpoena and repeatedly reading a statement saying his lawyers advised him to invoke his Fifth Amendment right.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • It's also advised to use PTO for part of the trip to ensure genuine rest, as a workation isn't a substitute for a true break.
    — Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of advised
Verb
  • Kirson remembered, adding that, minutes later, the show’s production team scolded her.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
  • In February, a California judge reportedly scolded Meta’s own lawyers for wearing the smart glasses in court.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Russian strikes on Ukraine's capital killed at least nine people and wounded more than two dozen others, local officials said Saturday local time, after Kyiv's mayor warned of a ballistic missile attack.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s outspoken opposition to the Jewish state, arguing that such positioning is antithetical to creating peace in the Middle East.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of warned
Verb
  • David Wallack, owner of Mango’s Tropical Cafe on Ocean Drive, vociferously criticized Suarez’ plan as insufficient.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
  • Malik Nabers criticized Harbaugh’s NFL Draft picks while his return from a serious knee injury remained a mystery.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of criticized
Verb
  • The class begins with incarcerated people being taught general knowledge of the industry.
    — Sydney Sasser, Charlotte Observer, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Tyx has lived in the Kansas City area for four years and previously taught middle school Spanish.
    — Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2025
Definition of taught
Verb
  • The integration brought hundreds of NFL Media employees under ESPN’s umbrella, and chairman Jimmy Pitaro blamed the acquisition for the layoffs in a memo to employees Tuesday obtained by Forbes.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • This shift can’t be blamed entirely on America’s costly labor and strict regulations.
    — James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Definition of blamed

Browse Nearby Words

admonish
admonished
admonisher
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Admonished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/admonished. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on admonished

Nglish: Translation of admonished for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All