monster

1 of 2

noun

mon·​ster ˈmän(t)-stər 

plural monsters

1

a

: an animal of strange or terrifying shape

a mythical monster

a sea monster

… visualize this scaleless monster, eight or nine feet long, sprawling in the shade by the side of the mud pools …

—W. E. Swinton

b

: one unusually large for its kind

That truck is a monster.

That's why I was born in my grandmother's house—a grand, brick Federal monster of a house.

—John Irving

2

a

: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure

b

: one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character

an immoral monster

3

: a threatening force

the same monster—Destiny … that rolls every civilization to doom

—W. L. Sullivan

4

: something monstrous

especially : a person of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty

a cruel monster of a father

5

: one that is highly successful

That movie was a monster at the box office.

monster

2 of 2

adjective

: enormous or impressive especially in size, extent, or numbers

Synonyms

Noun

• grotesque
• grotesquerie
• grotesquery
• monstrosity
• ogre

Adjective

• astronomical
• astronomic
• Brobdingnagian
• bumper
• colossal
• cosmic
• cosmical
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• enormous
• galactic
• gargantuan
• giant
• gigantesque
• gigantic
• grand
• herculean
• heroic
• heroical
• Himalayan
• huge
• humongous
• humungous
• immense
• jumbo
• king-size
• king-sized
• leviathan
• mammoth
• massive
• mega
• mighty
• monstrous
• monumental
• mountainous
• oceanic
• pharaonic
• planetary
• prodigious
• super
• super-duper
• supersize
• supersized
• titanic
• tremendous
• vast
• vasty
• walloping
• whacking
• whopping

Examples of monster in a Sentence

Noun

That car is a monster.

Inflation has become an economic monster.

Adjective

The movie turned out to be a monster hit.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Distorted and exaggerated by Weegee’s hand—with grins set in a chilling rictus, or eyes and noses spread wide and pancaked—these idols became monsters. —Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025

Alfred Dean reeled in the monster shark on 130-pound test. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Feb. 2025

Adjective

One of the biggest changes reflects the idea that these new players prefer more monster options over D&D lore. —Rob Wieland, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

Nattily dressed in a tan peacoat and collared shirt, the puckish tot also made monster noises, stuck his fingers in his dad’s ears, plopped himself on the floor and went eye to eye with Trump. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English monstre, from Anglo-French, from Latin monstrum omen, monster, from monēre to warn — more at mind

Adjective

from atributive use of monster entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1837, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing monster

• Gila monster
• green-eyed monster
• Loch Ness monster
• party monster
• sea monster

Kids Definition

monster

1 of 2 noun

mon·​ster ˈmän(t)-stər 

1

: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure

2

: a strange or horrible creature

3

: something unusually large

4

: an extremely wicked or cruel person

monster

2 of 2 adjective

: very large : enormous