admonished

[ad-mon-isht] / ædˈmɒn ɪʃt /

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.

“If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth,” he admonished the pontiff.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

“We can never recapture the purchasing power of the dollar that has been lost,” the chairman admonished his colleagues in August 1955—even as the consumer-price index registered a rare, small year-over-year decline.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

They did hear testimony from an anti–death penalty lawyer who was admonished for testing DNA on a water bottle without the person’s permission.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

A judicial watchdog commission publicly admonished an Los Angeles Superior Court judge for showing bias on Facebook and Twitter.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

“Amy, dear, don’t talk with your mouth full,” the woman who must have been Amy’s mother admonished.

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff