tr.v., -ished, -ish·ing, -ish·es.
- To reprove gently but earnestly.
- To counsel (another) against something to be avoided; caution.
- To remind of something forgotten or disregarded, as an obligation or a responsibility.
[Middle English amonishen, admonishen, alteration of amonesten, from Old French amonester, admonester, from Vulgar Latin *admonestāre, from Latin admonēre : ad-, ad- + monēre, to warn.]
admonisher ad·mon'ish·er n.admonishingly ad·mon'ish·ing·ly adv.
admonishment ad·mon'ish·ment n.
SYNONYMS admonish, reprove, rebuke, reprimand, reproach. These verbs mean to correct or caution critically. Admonish implies the giving of advice or a warning in order to rectify or avoid something: "A gallows erected on an eminence admonished the offenders of the fate that awaited them" (William Hickling Prescott). Reprove usually suggests gentle criticism and constructive intent: With a quick look, the teacher reproved the child for whispering in class. Rebuke and reprimand both refer to sharp, often angry criticism: "Some of the most heated criticism . . . has come from the Justice Department, which rarely rebukes other agencies in public" (Howard Kurtz). "A committee at [the university] asked its president to reprimand a scientist who tested gene-altered bacteria on trees" (New York Times). Reproach usually refers to regretful or unhappy criticism arising from a sense of disappointment: "Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach" (Samuel Johnson).
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