- 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 (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).
