monosyllabic

adjective

mono·syl·lab·ic | \ ˌmä-nə-sə-ˈla-bik

Definition of monosyllabic

1 : consisting of one syllable or of monosyllables

2 : using or speaking only monosyllables

3 : conspicuously brief in answering or commenting : terse

Other Words from monosyllabic Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about monosyllabic

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from monosyllabic

monosyllabically \ ˌmä-nə-sə-ˈla-bi-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

monosyllabicity \ ˌmä-nə-ˌsi-lə-ˈbi-sə-tē

\ noun

Examples of monosyllabic in a Sentence

The movie star was monosyllabic with newspaper reporters. the sullen teenager would give only a monosyllabic response to even the friendliest question

Recent Examples on the Web

On Sunday, however, Stanton’s two strikeouts in important situations and a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays created a layer of tension in his quick and sometimes monosyllabic responses. — David Waldstein, New York Times, "On Old-Timers’ Day in the Bronx, It’s the New Guy Who Gets Jeered," 17 June 2018 Facebook commenters were mostly against the sheriff, but also typically monosyllabic. — Dan Sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Readers offer mixed support for Broward Sheriff Scott Israel," 27 Apr. 2018 What seems to work with a sullen, monosyllabic pre-teen? — Ellie Delano, Woman's Day, "I Need Help: How Do You Get Your Kid To Do Chores?," 13 May 2013 In a book that began its lessons with the spellings of monosyllabic words such as cat and bat, Moore introduced reading lessons like this one to support her philosophy that freedom was worse than slavery: 1. — Heather Andrea Williams, Slate Magazine, "The Oppressor’s Bookshelf," 8 Dec. 2017 Luckily for him, and for us, the boy is befriended by a monosyllabic goatherd with hardscrabble but successful strategies to survive in this dystopian world of rancid wells and withered lone fig trees. — Natalie Serber, New York Times, "In This Beautiful Debut, a Boy Takes Flight in a Bleak World," 28 Aug. 2017 On the other side of the tent, though, Bernhard Hauser, 40, of Burghausen, was hunched over, eyes peeking out from a stack of blankets, offering monosyllabic utterances through clattering teeth as three paramedics kept close watch. — Andrew Keh, New York Times, "For Swimmers With Ice Water in Their Veins, an Event to Match," 26 Dec. 2016 Now Arnold wanders the house in a jolly monosyllabic stupor, barely able to negotiate a doorknob. — Tony Adler, Chicago Reader, "Hir is Steppenwolf’s latest, funniest victim-impact statement," 12 July 2017 In 2014, Marvel turned Guardians of the Galaxy, an obscure comic featuring aliens, a talking raccoon and a monosyllabic tree, into a massive hit. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "How the Venom Spinoff Could Change the Spider-Man Universe," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monosyllabic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.