Synonyms of cautionary

cautionary

adjective

as in warning

serving as or offering a warning

the story of King Midas is a cautionary tale about the perils of wishing for something—you just might get it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• warning
• admonitory
• premonitory
• punitive
• admonishing
• monitory
• cautioning
• exemplary
• didactic
• moralistic
• advisory
• moralizing
• counseling
• punishing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cautionary

The cautionary tale of using technology to predict box office outcomes centers on Relativity Media, which pitched data analysis in a pre-generative AI world but later went bankrupt. — John Kell, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

The 92-minute feature, directed by Robert Wise, was released as Cold War fears were at the top of the headlines and was intended as a cautionary tale (decades later, the studio remade the film with Keanu Reeves and an aughts sheen in 2008). — Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026

Yet Texas offers a cautionary reminder of what can happen when federal oversight fails, or is not present. — David Edward Dematthews, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026

Real-life Texas is in the middle of a highly contentious senate race; TV Texas is a world with no Greg Abbott, nor a president who’s already a cautionary tale in what happens when pop culture and politics collide. — Alison Herman, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026

Even with the potential leverage, however, some Democrats are taking a cautionary tone on the debt ceiling. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

This weekend, two – Manning and Sayin – will go head-to-head in a top-5 rematch of a game that ought to serve as a quarterback cautionary tale. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

The View From South Africa South Africa offers a cautionary comparison. — Vivianne Wandera, semafor.com, 9 Sep. 2026

But critics have described the astonishing level of access Fielder and Oppenheim gained to a Silicon Valley figure who has generated years of fascination in popular culture, largely as a cautionary tale. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026