monstrosity

noun

mon·​stros·​i·​ty män-ˈsträ-sə-tē 

plural monstrosities

1

a

: a malformation of a plant or animal

b

: something deviating from the normal : freak

2

: the quality or state of being monstrous

the monstrosity of the tsunami's devastation

3

a

: an object of great and often frightening size, force, or complexity

this monstrosity, the atomic bomb

b

: an excessively bad or shocking example

The new mall is an architectural monstrosity.

Synonyms

• anomaly
• mutation
• monster

Examples of monstrosity in a Sentence

Did you see the new mall? It's a monstrosity.

any monstrosities born to the farm animals were sent to the agricultural college for study

Recent Examples on the Web

The goals of this monstrosity are viciously anti-American. —Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025

Unfortunately, Kidman’s shoulder-length curly blonde hair in The Perfect Couple is a monstrosity. —Jihane Bousfiha, Vulture, 2 July 2025

The movie brings back several old favorites — including Velociraptors, Dilophosaurus and a T. rex from the original — before unleashing this fresh monstrosity on the handful of characters who make it to the end. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 30 June 2025

The brutalist federal buildings that have blighted Washington, D.C., for decades deserve the same fate as Carthage after the Third Punic War, and the nation’s capital is finally beginning to move on from these concrete monstrosities. —Rich Lowry, National Review, 29 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for monstrosity

• atrocity
• ferocity
• pomposity
• porosity
• precocity
• schistosity
• velocity
• verbosity
• viscosity
• animosity
• curiosity
• generosity

Kids Definition

monstrosity

noun

mon·​stros·​i·​ty män-ˈsträs-ət-ē 

plural monstrosities

1

: the condition of being monstrous

2

: something monstrous : monster