What does “admonish” mean?
- 1
verbto tell someone firmly that they have done something wrong
The judge admonished the lawyer for interrupting.
- 2
verbto strongly advise or warn someone to do something
She admonished us to check every figure twice.
Admonish at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /ədˈmɑnɪʃ/ · ad-MAH-nish
How to use “admonish” correctly
Formal and milder than “punish”: it’s a spoken warning, not a penalty.
Common phrases with “admonish”
- admonish sb for doing sth
- admonish sb to do sth
- gently admonish
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- reprimand
- scold
- rebuke
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- praise
Word family
- admonition
- admonishment
“admonish” is on these word lists
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