: expressing admonition : warning

Examples of admonitory in a Sentence

admonitory articles abound around Halloween, warning parents of the hazards of trick-or-treating
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And while the formal rules on travel have relaxed, the admonitory official language is unchanged. John Liu, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2023 Satire has always had an admonitory function, and besides, some people are so obnoxious that a writer has to slow-walk the reader through their awfulness. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 11 May 2022 The majority of the pieces were delivered as lectures at churches, seminaries and universities; thus, most have the distinctly instructive and at times admonitory tone of that kind of educational talk to an audience. Kathleen Rooney, chicagotribune.com, 16 Feb. 2018 Those seeking a more sobering perspective on the toxic highs of celebrity may want to make the pilgrimage to the Boston area, the cradle of admonitory American puritanism. Ben Brantley, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2017 Their messages were by turns romantic, topical, admonitory and devout, while the music was hypnotically danceable. Jon Pareles, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin admonitōrius, from Latin admoni- (variant stem of admonēre "to admonish") + -tōrius, adjectival derivative of -tor, agent suffix

First Known Use

1577, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of admonitory was in 1577

Dictionary Entries Near admonitory

Cite this Entry

“Admonitory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admonitory. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

admonitory

adjective
ad·​mon·​i·​to·​ry ad-ˈmän-ə-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce admonitory (audio)
-ˌtȯr-
: expressing admonition : warning
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