monstrous

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adjective

mon·strous ˈmän(t)-strəs

Synonyms of monstrous next

: having extraordinary often overwhelming size : gigantic

stuffing a monstrous sandwich down his throat—

Mike Flaherty

a monstrous skyscraper

: extraordinarily ugly or vicious : horrible

a monstrous crime

monstrous mayhem

: shockingly wrong or ridiculous

the legend assumed monstrous proportions—

Louis Untermeyer

a monstrous miscalculation

: deviating greatly from the natural form or character : abnormal

a monstrous melon

: very great

—used as an intensive

a monstrous hammering on his door—

G. D. Browna monstrous hangover

: having the qualities or appearance of a monster

came face to face with a monstrous creature—

Lester David

obsolete : teeming with monsters

obsolete : strange, unnatural

monstrously adverb

monstrousness noun

monstrous

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adverb

chiefly dialectal

: very, extremely

a monstrous long raft—

Mark 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

Example Sentences

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

Condo’s brilliant draftsmanship through a cast of characters in turn comic, monstrous, tragic, and endearing. —

Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2023 If school protections could absolutely protect against monstrous acts, a shooter intent on harming others would turn his attention to more accessible targets such as malls, theaters, churches, parks. —

Anchorage Daily News, 29 May 2022 Its share of cases is growing even amid a monstrous surge in cases from the extremely transmissible delta variant. —

Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 15 Dec. 2021 The Salt Bae of Gothic fantasy, director Tim Burton sprinkles his strange seasoning — a deep fondness for the monstrous — on this series about the supernatural school days of solemnly ghoulish Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega). —

Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 14 Dec. 2022 The streets of Chicago seem overpopulated with multiple shadow societies, some noble, some monstrous, all inscrutable. —

Darren Franich, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022 Davis has posted four straight double-doubles with the last three being monstrous. —

Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2022 Read on for my prediction and pick for this monstrous SEC battle. —

Tanner Mcgrath, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2022 Teaming up with Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau), Swamp Thing takes on Arcane, resulting in a truly monstrous battle between the two. —

Will Harris, EW.com, 26 Oct. 2022 See More

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