admonish

verb

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

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
ad-ˈmä-nish-mənt How to pronounce admonish (audio)
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.

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
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
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.
But even now, Ken admonishes himself for trying to silo da Vinci’s expertise into such restrictive disciplines. —Hunter Ingram, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024 The latest: Several Democrats in tight races publicly admonished Biden on Wednesday. —Andrew Solender, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024 Tyler admonished viewers for digging into his private life, saying his children's birth certificates have now been made public. —Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024 Throughout the week, Shanes has frequently interrupted prosecutors asking them to cut to the chase with their questions, and at times admonished attorneys for raising their voices. —Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for admonish 

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

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Dictionary Entries Near admonish

adml

admonish

admonishing

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Cite this Entry

“Admonish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admonish. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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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
-mənt How to pronounce admonish (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on admonish

Nglish: Translation of admonish for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of admonish for Arabic Speakers

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