admonished

American  

[ad-mon-isht] / ædˈmɒn ɪʃt /

adjective

1. rebuked or reminded of one’s duty, especially in a mild manner or with good will.

   As she spoke, the employee looked down and kicked the dirt like an admonished child.

   Tears came not from the admonished four-year-old who had destroyed the elaborate sandcastle, but from my dad, who had built it.

2. cautioned or advised against something; warned.

   A previously admonished person entering the premises without the owner’s written authorization shall be deemed to be trespassing.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of admonish.

Other Word Forms

• unadmonished adjective

Etymology

Origin of admonished

First recorded in 1590–1600; admonish ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; admonish ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

“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

In the case of a New York real-estate developer, an appeals court admonished Hellerstein for calling a prosecutor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was admonished after entering other judges’ chambers and going through their papers and computers, according to a state commission.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2025

“Then I suggest you begin at once,” admonished the Dodecahedron from his admonishing face, “for here in Digitopolis everything is quite precise.”

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster

Related Words

• advise
• berate
• censure
• chide
• enjoin
• exhort
• rebuke
• reprimand
• scold
• upbraid
• warn