escarmentado

chastened; having learned one's lesson

adjective ehs-kar-men-TAH-doh Rare

Also means

wary after a bad experience

Usage Note

Escarmentado is the past participle of escarmentar used as an adjective, describing someone who has been burned by experience and is now cautious. The proverb gato escaldado del agua fría huye captures the same idea; escarmentado often implies the lesson was learned the hard way.

Examples

"Salí escarmentado de ese negocio."

Natural Translation

I came out of that deal having learned my lesson.

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