1
as in addictions
a physiological need for certain drugs
I've got this monkey on my back, and going to detox is the only way to get it off
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in devils
an appealingly mischievous person
come back here, you little monkey!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of monkeys
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
Even the photos of giraffes, monkeys, lions, hyenas and rhinos hanging on the walls of the classrooms were selected intentionally — and add a personal touch to the space for Scheible.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Camera traps recorded squirrels, langur monkeys and macaques, followed by gibbons — a promising sign.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Although local officials routinely feed the monkeys at the Mediterranean destination seeds, fruits, and vegetables, visitors to the area are known to offer the monkeys snack foods, including chips, candy, and even ice cream.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
The dirt eating was widespread, with males and females from different groups of monkeys partaking during multiple times of the year, and was generally associated with areas where there were more tourists.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
It can be spread to humans by animal hosts, such as rodents or monkeys, or between people.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
But the case also appears to highlight a lack of guidelines for assessing the health of monkeys before they are shipped for medical research.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
These days, Punch seldom relies on the plushie and instead can be found socializing with other monkeys, according to Yasunaga.
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
In the sketch, Sherman wore oversized fake teeth and mocked Wood’s Manchester accent in a line about removing fluoride from water and eating monkeys.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026
Even the photos of giraffes, monkeys, lions, hyenas and rhinos hanging on the walls of the classrooms were selected intentionally — and add a personal touch to the space for Scheible.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Camera traps recorded squirrels, langur monkeys and macaques, followed by gibbons — a promising sign.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Although local officials routinely feed the monkeys at the Mediterranean destination seeds, fruits, and vegetables, visitors to the area are known to offer the monkeys snack foods, including chips, candy, and even ice cream.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
The dirt eating was widespread, with males and females from different groups of monkeys partaking during multiple times of the year, and was generally associated with areas where there were more tourists.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026
It can be spread to humans by animal hosts, such as rodents or monkeys, or between people.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
But the case also appears to highlight a lack of guidelines for assessing the health of monkeys before they are shipped for medical research.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 20 Apr. 2026
These days, Punch seldom relies on the plushie and instead can be found socializing with other monkeys, according to Yasunaga.
—Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeys
Noun
-
Through years of advocating for children, the princess—and mother of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—has come to understand that some of society’s most serious problems, from addictions to poor mental health, have their roots in the first five years of an individual’s life.—
Roberta Mercuri,
Vanity Fair,
6 May 2026
-
Not good due to all the fires, empty reservoir, crime, high taxes, homeless and drug addictions, etc.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Ash devils can hurl hot embers in all directions and spark new fires, but this one harmlessly dissipated without spreading the blaze further.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But if getting Andy back in the Runway fold feels a lot like getting her into it in the first film, that feeling will only persist, as the sequel apes the original feature nearly beat for beat, with some small swaps here and there.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2026
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More importantly, this origin story of a movie and a movement apes the joie de moviemaking and the jazzy looseness of the original to an absolutely amazing degree, replicating an off-the-cuff feeling that’s more than a second-hand buzz.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Cala Gaetano is the most breathtaking of all, both in awe and anxiety, where slippery steps without any barriers bring you to a secluded cove speckled with urchins.—
Kristina Kasparian,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On a party count, that is 4-3 for the Dems and the one-for-you, one-for-me bipartisan staffing copies the Board of Elections.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Every time the virus copies itself inside a cell, its genetic material mutates.—
Kyle B. Enfield,
The Conversation,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Of all the former rascals, Symoné has enjoyed the longest and most successful career in entertainment.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
-
In the years since 2004’s Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, Penn’s carved out a niche embodying big-talking, attention-grabbing rascals who say inappropriate things, then shrug their way through the consequences.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ben Hania’s film before that, 2020’s Oscar-nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin, parodies the art world’s fetishization of refugees.—
Alexander Durie,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Newsom has been trying to raise his national profile, adopting a combative style that parodies Trump’s social media strategy with similar all-caps posts, memes and merchandise.—
Adriana Gomez Licon,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monkeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkeys. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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