warned

Warned is the past tense and past participle of the verb warn. It indicates that someone has been informed in advance about potential danger, risk, or undesirable consequences, or that someone has admonished or cautioned another person.

Etymology: The verb originates in Old English as warnian and is related to other Germanic forms such as Dutch waarschuwen and German warnen. The sense of forewarning is preserved in modern usage, with the past tense form “warned” attesting to completed action.

Usage: As a finite verb, warned appears in constructions like She warned him not to touch the device or They warned us of the danger. As a past participle, it forms perfect tenses: He has warned the driver, or in passive voice: The public was warned. The word can act in adjective-like roles in formal or legal language, as in the warned party (though this usage is comparatively rare). The related noun is warning, while the present tense is warn and the plural form is warnings.

Contexts: In everyday language, warned often concerns safety, health, or legal risk. In road transport, authorities or signs may warn drivers about hazards. In law or policy, officials may warn individuals about penalties or required actions. In computing and reporting, a system may indicate that a user or process was warned, or that a warning was issued.

See also: warning, forewarn, caution.