admonition

noun

ad·​mo·​ni·​tion ˌad-mə-ˈni-shən 

1

: gentle or friendly reproof

remembered the admonition to keep it simple

2

: counsel or warning against fault or oversight

the principal's admonition against bullying

Synonyms

• adjuration
• admonishment
• advice
• counsel
• guidance
• input

Examples of admonition in a Sentence

an admonition to be careful

He offered words of advice and admonition.

Recent Examples on the Web

Driving the news: The admonition came in an update to House Democrats sent Friday afternoon by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Executive Director Julie Merz, a copy of which was obtained by Axios. —Andrew Solender, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024

Last week, Obama was out on the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris, delivering an admonition to African American voters who may be leaning toward supporting former President Donald Trump in the highly competitive presidential contretemps. —Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune, 16 Oct. 2024

Perhaps Netanyahu’s most disquieting elision in his U.N. speech, in this season of atonement, is that Moses’s admonition to choose blessings over curses was aimed specifically at the Children of Israel. —Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024

Western countries, including the United States, have warned African governments to be wary of Chinese exploitation, but such admonitions have been met with skepticism, not least because of the West’s long and painful record of exploiting Africa. —Kishore Mahbubani, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ammonicioun, admonicioun, borrowed from Anglo-French amonicion, borrowed from Latin admonitiōn-, admonitiō, from admoni- (variant stem of admonēre "to admonish") + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

admonition

noun

ad·​mo·​ni·​tion ˌad-mə-ˈnish-ən 

: a gentle or friendly criticism or warning