admonish

[ad-mon-ish] / ædˈmɒn ɪʃ /

VERB

warn, strongly criticize

Synonyms

STRONGEST

advise berate censure chide enjoin exhort rebuke reprimand scold upbraid warn

STRONG

check counsel ding forewarn glue growl hoist notice rap reprove

WEAK

call down call on the carpet come down hard on draw the line give a going over give a piece of one's mind jack up rap on knuckles sit on slap on wrist speak to talk to tell a thing or two tell off

Antonyms

STRONGEST

allow compliment flatter laud permit praise

WEAK

applaud approve commend extol

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Antonelli complained again about Russell's driving on the slowing down lap and Wolff again came on the radio to admonish him: "Kimi, we talk about this privately, not on the radio."

From BBC • May 23, 2026

"We stayed to guard our soil," her daughter Najat al-Nour, a Quran professor in her fifties who lifted her chin high to admonish those who left.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

The fine may have been less than some traffic tickets, but it’s nearly unheard for a judge to formally admonish a government lawyer.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

Savage went on to empower our community to admonish naysayers of queer party-going, community enrichment, and quality time — however we choose to define those terms.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2025

I shouldn’t put her off, I admonish myself.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Vocabulary lists containing admonish

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100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"

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"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)

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