1. warn or reprimand someone firmly: "she admonished me for appearing at breakfast unshaven"Similarreprimandrebukescoldreproveupbraidchastisechidecensurecastigatelambasteberatereproachlecturecriticizetake to taskpull upread the Riot Act togive a piece of one's mind tohaul over the coalsinformal:tell offgive someone a telling-offdress downgive someone a dressing-downbawl outpitch intolay intolace intoblow upgive someone an earfulgive someone a roastinggive someone a rocketgive someone a rollickingrap over the knucklesslap someone's wristsend someone away with a flea in their earlet someone have itgive someone helltick offhave a go atcarpettear someone off a stripmonstergive someone a mouthfulgive someone what forgive someone some stickgive someone a wiggingchew outream outvulgar slang:bollockgive someone a bollockingtear someone a new arseholerip someone a new arseholetear someone a new assholerip someone a new assholedated:trimrategive someone a ratingrare:reprehendobjurgateOppositepraise
▪ warn (someone) of something to be avoided:"he admonished the people against the evil of such practices"
Word OriginMiddle Englishamonest ‘urge, exhort’, from Old French amonester, based on Latin admonere ‘urge by warning’. Later, the final -t of amonest was taken to indicate the past tense, and the present tense changed on the pattern of verbs such as abolish; the prefix became ad- in the 16th century by association with the Latin form.
