monstrosity

noun

mon·​stros·​i·​ty män-ˈsträ-sə-tē How to pronounce monstrosity (audio)
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.

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 Oh, right, so: This particular kingdom has been plagued for centuries by a massive, winged, fire-breathing monstrosity, who — in Damsel‘s brief but hectic preamble — has literally made toast of all the king’s men. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Koslowski also worried that some people living on boats along the way might find themselves in the path of the metal monstrosity and get hit. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2024 And when the Big Ten adds Washington along with Oregon, USC and UCLA to become an 18-team monstrosity, the only thing that will unite them culturally will be the relentless pursuit of dollars. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024 Set in Hawkins in 1959, the play will show the Creel family and their future supernatural monstrosity arriving in town. Nick Romano, EW.com, 20 Sep. 2023 Those big, blue monstrosities that are hanging around the house? Cindy Dampier, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 The scientist who somehow survived being frozen finally wakes up, missing multiple limbs and his eyesight, looking and acting every bit like the pained monstrosity he’s become. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2024 But the mental contortions Rudolf and Hedwig go through to justify their own monstrosity go beyond obliviousness into something far more insidious and timeless. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 The crustaceans mutated over 40 years, before rising to the surface, first as separate, independent mutant creatures driven by a hivemind and then later, with the help of Godzilla Jr’s DNA, as a giant, monstrosity that looks like something escaped from hell. Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monstrosity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of monstrosity was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near monstrosity

Cite this Entry

“Monstrosity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monstrosity. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

monstrosity

noun
mon·​stros·​i·​ty män-ˈsträs-ət-ē How to pronounce monstrosity (audio)
plural monstrosities
1
: the condition of being monstrous
2
: something monstrous : monster

More from Merriam-Webster on monstrosity

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