monstrous

1 of 2

adjective

mon·​strous ˈmän(t)-strəs How to pronounce monstrous (audio)
1
: having extraordinary often overwhelming size : gigantic
stuffing a monstrous sandwich down his throatMike Flaherty
a monstrous skyscraper
2
a
: extraordinarily ugly or vicious : horrible
a monstrous crime
monstrous mayhem
b
: shockingly wrong or ridiculous
the legend assumed monstrous proportionsLouis Untermeyer
a monstrous miscalculation
3
: deviating greatly from the natural form or character : abnormal
a monstrous melon
4
: very great
used as an intensive
a monstrous hammering on his doorG. D. Brown
a monstrous hangover
5
a
: having the qualities or appearance of a monster
came face to face with a monstrous creatureLester David
b
obsolete : teeming with monsters
6
obsolete : strange, unnatural
monstrously adverb
monstrousness noun

monstrous

2 of 2

adverb

chiefly dialectal
: very, extremely
a monstrous long raftMark Twain
Choose the Right Synonym for monstrous

monstrous, prodigious, tremendous, stupendous mean extremely impressive.

monstrous implies a departure from the normal (as in size, form, or character) and often carries suggestions of deformity, ugliness, or fabulousness.

the monstrous waste of the project

prodigious suggests a marvelousness exceeding belief, usually in something felt as going far beyond a previous maximum (as of goodness, greatness, intensity, or size).

made a prodigious effort and rolled the stone aside

tremendous may imply a power to terrify or inspire awe.

the tremendous roar of the cataract

stupendous implies a power to stun or astound, usually because of size, numbers, complexity, or greatness beyond description.

a stupendous volcanic eruption

Examples of monstrous in a Sentence

Adjective It was monstrous of him to keep the truth from them all those years. a monstrous melon that was clearly not fit to eat Adverb a monstrous pretty gal, she was
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Soto and Stanton have had monstrous postseasons, combining for eight home runs and 19 RBIs. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024 Low-cost airline Play is helping travelers save on a trip to Europe with a monstrous Halloween sale that has flights starting at less than $100. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2024 On their way to check out their family property, a group of teenagers trespassed on the land of a nearby house, home of the monstrous, chainsaw-wielding Leatherface. Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Oct. 2024 In the oxygen-rich air of the Carboniferous period, between roughly 300 million and 360 million years ago, some animals swelled to monstrous sizes. Olatunji Osho-Williams, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for monstrous 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monstrous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Adverb

1569, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monstrous was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near monstrous

Cite this Entry

“Monstrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monstrous. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

monstrous

adjective
mon·​strous
ˈmän(t)-strəs
1
: unusually large : gigantic
2
: very ugly or vicious : horrible
3
: shockingly wrong or ridiculous
4
: very different from the usual form : abnormal
monstrously adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on monstrous

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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