as in warning
serving as or offering a warning
shot an admonishing glance at me just as I was about to spill the beans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in reprimanding
to criticize (someone) usually gently so as to correct a fault
admonished her for littering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in advising
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 admonishing
Brock Keeling, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Oct. 2022
Rose protests the admonishing tone, confidently signaling that the French are no better than her.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2022
And what happened on Tuesday was this: In key states and races -- from Virginia to New Jersey to Long Island -- voters leaned toward Republicans, rejecting -- or at least admonishing -- Democrats up to and including President Joe Biden.
—Chris Cillizza, CNN, 4 Nov. 2021
But articles also popped up admonishing parents for writing about their kids at all.
—Heather Lanier, Longreads, 4 Mar. 2021
Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Tisch lauded her officers for taking action while admonishing the dangers of violent crime.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
The outlet reported that the mother of Jamieson’s child spoke out in court, admonishing him for the violent attack on their daughter last January.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
These ridiculous charges led Swifties to bemoan the current political climate, admonishing left-leaning commentators for going overboard in their attempts to identify signs of cryptofascism in Swift’s work.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2025
Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro sent a note to staff Friday, thanking them for the work and continued focus, while admonishing YouTube and its parent company Google for the dispute.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
Caitlin Clark gave support to fellow WNBA star Napheesa Collier, who had referenced Clark when admonishing the league and commissioner Cathy Engelbert in fiery remarks earlier this week.
—Jill Martin, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
One of the most emblematic moments of the week came in the morning session when the camera and microphone caught McIlroy admonishing rowdy fans before a shot.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
The Anti-Defamation League released a statement admonishing Carslon's speech.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Nevertheless, Waterbar received an admonishing phone call from team Drake.
—Brock Keeling, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Oct. 2022
Rose protests the admonishing tone, confidently signaling that the French are no better than her.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 May 2022
And what happened on Tuesday was this: In key states and races -- from Virginia to New Jersey to Long Island -- voters leaned toward Republicans, rejecting -- or at least admonishing -- Democrats up to and including President Joe Biden.
—Chris Cillizza, CNN, 4 Nov. 2021
But articles also popped up admonishing parents for writing about their kids at all.
—Heather Lanier, Longreads, 4 Mar. 2021
Verb
But investigators eventually cracked the passcode on Paul Murdaugh’s phone and found a video with a barking dog and Alex Murdaugh’s voice admonishing it five minutes before the young man stopped using his phone.
—Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Tisch lauded her officers for taking action while admonishing the dangers of violent crime.
—Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026
The outlet reported that the mother of Jamieson’s child spoke out in court, admonishing him for the violent attack on their daughter last January.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
These ridiculous charges led Swifties to bemoan the current political climate, admonishing left-leaning commentators for going overboard in their attempts to identify signs of cryptofascism in Swift’s work.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 9 Dec. 2025
Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman and ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro sent a note to staff Friday, thanking them for the work and continued focus, while admonishing YouTube and its parent company Google for the dispute.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 31 Oct. 2025
Caitlin Clark gave support to fellow WNBA star Napheesa Collier, who had referenced Clark when admonishing the league and commissioner Cathy Engelbert in fiery remarks earlier this week.
—Jill Martin, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
One of the most emblematic moments of the week came in the morning session when the camera and microphone caught McIlroy admonishing rowdy fans before a shot.
—Justin Ray, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
The Anti-Defamation League released a statement admonishing Carslon's speech.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for admonishing
Adjective
-
The bureau also will post more warning notices at 750 livestock sale facilities and review other potential changes to federal regulations.—
SCOTT SONNER,
Star Tribune,
27 July 2021
-
In response, statistical authorities around the world could do little but issue warning press releases.—
Andrew Whitby,
Time,
17 Apr. 2020
Verb
-
If something’s not done as far as reprimanding, what will that do to him as a student?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Law firm Gibson Dunn is advising Lupa Systems on the deal.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
20 May 2026
-
How to fix the system Last month, as part of the Think7 process advising the French G7 Presidency, our task force published a solutions paper on enhancing insurability against natural disasters.—
Nina Seega,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His father, Terry, spent 22 years working in the pharmaceutical industry, and now works in medicinal chemistry, teaching as an assistant professor of biochemistry at Wake Forest on the side.—
Gabby Herzig,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Inside a small lab at Emory University's Math & Science Center, physicist Justin Burton spends his days teaching and asking some very big questions.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Just months into Powell’s chairmanship in 2018, Trump started criticizing him and the central bank for not lowering rates.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
-
Schumer wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this month warning that new AI systems could dramatically accelerate cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, while criticizing the agency for its response thus far.—
Lauren Morganbesser,
semafor.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Medicare fraud has become a hot political topic, with Republicans and Democrats each blaming the other party for the problem.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
-
The Newsom administration estimates that thousands of victims of the Los Angeles wildfires cannot afford to rebuild, blaming a lack of access to affordable loans and a gap between insurance payouts and the cost to build again.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Trump has already tried to tip the scales in one significant baseball matter, publicly chiding Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball’s commissioner, in the process.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The two have long been political archenemies going back to Trump’s first term, with Pritzker chiding Trump over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic while the president’s supporters have accused the Democratic governor of taking too strict of measures with COVID mitigations.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Admonishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/admonishing. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
