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
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Adjective
However, a small telescope will be needed to resolve the galaxy's bright core, which is suspected to play host to a monstrous singularity 15 times the mass of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Apr. 2025 It was published in 1969 and was a monstrous hit, spending 67 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and selling over 9 million copies in two years. Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 26 Apr. 2025 Andy Robertson’s monstrous assist total gets overlooked by many, not by me. Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025 Scientists long thought the monstrous Deinosuchus was a relative of modern alligators, despite its nickname. Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for monstrous

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

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Cite this Entry

“Monstrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monstrous. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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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