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admonishing

admonishing

1 6.5
Showing mild criticism to help someone behave better
  • adjective
  • /ədˈmɒnɪʃɪŋ/
: amonestador
  • She gave her son an admonishing glance when he started to complain in public.

Heiss, Miss Polici told the media that she had sent me a letter, quote, admonishing me for our reporting on this case, for putting him on the air.

Examples

  • The teacher’s admonishing tone made the students fall silent.

  • With an admonishing shake of his head, he reminded them about the rules.

  • Don't be so admonishing all the time!

  • The teacher gave an admonishing look to the students.

  • The parents had an admonishing conversation with their child about respecting their curfew.

  • The manager's admonishing remarks during the meeting highlighted the need for improvements in teamwork.

  • Her admonishing words served as a reminder for everyone to take their responsibilities seriously.

Synonyms

reproachful
vsadmonishing
2 6.5

Showing disapproval in voice or look

aims to correct actions rather than only assigning blame
reproving
vsadmonishing
1 7.4

Showing that someone is not happy and trying to correct them

is milder, focusing on correction through criticising behavior
admonitory
vsadmonishing
1 8.3

Giving a warning to show disapproval

focuses on correcting behavior rather than on giving a warning

Antonyms

1 2.1

Showing approval and admiration for someone or their work

How Reproachful

admonishing
1 6.5
reproachful
2 6.5

Surface Forms

admonishing positive

Morphology

admonishing = admonish (transparent) = ad + monish + ing

Formed by adding the participial suffix '-ing' to the verb 'admonish'; the adjectival meaning is the direct result of the verb.

Etymology

Admonishing comes from the Latin parts ad- and monere, where monere means 'to warn' and is the same root as monitor. So an admonishing look or tone is a warning meant to correct someone's behavior.