1 admonish | Definition of admonish
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admonish

verb
ad·​mon·​ish | \ ad-ˈmä-nish How to pronounce admonish (audio) \
admonished; admonishing; admonishes

Definition of admonish

transitive verb

1a : 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
Other Words from admonish Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym When Should You Use admonish? More Example Sentences Learn More about admonish

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Other Words from admonish

admonisher noun, plural admonishers
admonishment \ -​mənt How to pronounce admonishment (audio) \ noun, plural admonishments

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

When Should You Use admonish?

Admonish was borrowed in the 14th century (via Anglo-French) from Vulgar Latin admonestare, which is itself an alteration 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 even a now archaic synonym of admonish, monish. Incidentally, admonish has a number of other synonyms as well, including reprove, rebuke, reprimand, reproach, and chide.

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
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Recent Examples on the Web

 If requests are denied and staff still choose not to work overtime, they are admonished by managers and miss out on future overtime opportunities. — Mark Gurman, Fortune, "Apple Admits Breaking Chinese Labor Laws in the World’s Largest iPhone Factory," 9 Sep. 2019 In 2009, the state said, he was admonished again for similar behavior and suspended. — oregonlive.com, "Former St. Helens teacher sentenced to prison for sex abuse of teen girl," 19 Aug. 2019 Much of our currency admonishes E pluribus unum — out of many, one. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Your Say: Election 2020 priorities," 2 Aug. 2019 Among the many tweets on the topic are some that contain graphic images of the June protest, and others admonishing anyone who would still support Liu or buy a ticket to Mulan after seeing them. — Allegra Frank, Vox, "How the Hong Kong protests created the #BoycottMulan campaign," 16 Aug. 2019 Günther chose to admonish the President about the necessity to respect property rights. — Quartz Africa, "Even after acknowledging the Namibia genocide of WWI, Germany still hasn’t learned the key lesson," 10 Aug. 2019 The practice dates back over 3,500 years to Jacob, who orally delivered the first one to his sons, according to the Old Testament, admonishing their bad behavior and giving tips on how to do better. — Bj Miller, Time, "Why You Need to Make a 'When I Die' File—Before It's Too Late," 1 Aug. 2019 Our internal taskmasters, who admonish us to work harder and never slacken the pace, are powerful. — Cassie Werber, Quartz at Work, "There’s a mindfulness exercise that the strongest leaders need to try," 31 July 2019 Tim Ryan, a congressman from Ohio, admonished Mr Sanders for yelling, perhaps not realising that the senator from Vermont only has one volume setting. — J.f., The Economist, "Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defend big, bold ideas," 31 July 2019

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

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First Known Use of admonish

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for admonish

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.

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More Definitions for admonish

admonish

verb
How to pronounce admonish (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of admonish

formal
: to speak to (someone) in a way that expresses disapproval or criticism
: to tell or urge (someone) to do something

See the full definition for admonish in the English Language Learners Dictionary

admonish

verb
ad·​mon·​ish | \ ad-ˈmä-nish How to pronounce admonish (audio) \
admonished; admonishing

Kids Definition of admonish

1 : to criticize or warn gently but seriously The principal admonished a student for talking.
2 : to give friendly advice or encouragement I admonished them to keep trying.

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