monstrous

1 of 2

adjective

mon·​strous ˈmän(t)-strəs 

1

: having extraordinary often overwhelming size : gigantic

… stuffing a monstrous sandwich down his throat.

—Mike Flaherty

a monstrous skyscraper

2

a

: extraordinarily ugly or vicious : horrible

a monstrous crime

monstrous mayhem

b

: shockingly wrong or ridiculous

This legend assumed monstrous proportions …

—Louis 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 door.

—G. D. Brown

a monstrous hangover

5

a

: having the qualities or appearance of a monster

… came face to face with a monstrous creature.

—Lester 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 raft …

—Mark Twain

Synonyms of monstrous

Adjective

• distorted

Adverb

• extremely
• incredibly
• damned
• very
• terribly
• damn
• highly
• badly
• too
• severely
• so
• jolly
• desperately
• really
• super
• full
• mighty
• seriously
• that
• such
• real
• far
• wildly
• wicked
• awful
• greatly

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

About 90 years ago, American farmers in the Great Plains had so ravaged the thin soil there that a series of droughts turned the region into a vast expanse of dust, which formed monstrous storms and polluted the skies in cities hundreds of miles away. —Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2026

In the end, the play showcases how an infestation can spread and expand, quickly becoming something too terrifying and monstrous to contain. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026

Boasting a glossy, CGI-anime style that’s monstrous (in a bad way) to look at, the trilogy is light on any of the traditional hallmarks of the kaiju genre. —James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026

As the story continues, the Creature becomes increasingly enamored with the world around him — but turns monstrous when he is rejected and vilified by humans. —Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Adverb

1569, in the meaning defined above

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