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
Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
When researchers gave semaglutide to green vervet monkeys – primates that voluntarily drink alcohol much like humans do – the animals drank less without showing signs of nausea or changes in water intake.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2026
Expect to see monkeys (both howler and white-faced), koatis, and perhaps even a leopard.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Mar. 2026
When researchers gave semaglutide to green vervet monkeys – primates that voluntarily drink alcohol much like humans do – the animals drank less without showing signs of nausea or changes in water intake.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Punch was so popular after images of him and his toy showed up online last month, the zoo had to set rules to make visitors be quiet and to limit viewing to 10 minutes to reduce stress for the more than 50 other monkeys.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
In animal studies, vervet monkeys — primates that, like humans, voluntarily drink alcohol — were given the GLP-1 drug semaglutide.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
Palmar grasp reflex — automatic grasping action seen in newborns, but can appear as early as 16 weeks gestational age; young monkeys also display the reflex, where the need to quickly hold onto things seems more of a necessity.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
The monkeys seemed unfazed by the spectacle.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
The Broward County Commission has shot down a proposal that would have cleared the way for a property owner to put up warehouses on and near environmentally sensitive land, some of which has been home to a colony of African vervet monkeys since the late 1940s.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
When researchers gave semaglutide to green vervet monkeys – primates that voluntarily drink alcohol much like humans do – the animals drank less without showing signs of nausea or changes in water intake.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2026
Expect to see monkeys (both howler and white-faced), koatis, and perhaps even a leopard.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Mar. 2026
When researchers gave semaglutide to green vervet monkeys – primates that voluntarily drink alcohol much like humans do – the animals drank less without showing signs of nausea or changes in water intake.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Punch was so popular after images of him and his toy showed up online last month, the zoo had to set rules to make visitors be quiet and to limit viewing to 10 minutes to reduce stress for the more than 50 other monkeys.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
In animal studies, vervet monkeys — primates that, like humans, voluntarily drink alcohol — were given the GLP-1 drug semaglutide.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
Palmar grasp reflex — automatic grasping action seen in newborns, but can appear as early as 16 weeks gestational age; young monkeys also display the reflex, where the need to quickly hold onto things seems more of a necessity.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
The monkeys seemed unfazed by the spectacle.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkeys
Noun
-
Billy Idol has been more than forthcoming over the years about his various drug addictions during the peak of his career, so much so that his new documentary is called, quite suitably, Billy Idol Should Be Dead.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Models were also asked to pose as corpses in crime scenes, to personify eating disorders and addictions that models might have.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Some Ottomans believed that Alawites were possessed by devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
-
There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
There are high columns crawling with ivy, nearly 12 acres of rolling lawns, teensy windows with teensy shutters, and a diminutive pool house that apes a fairy-tale cottage.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
From about 2011 to 2014, Gates emails Epstein directly, and often one of the pair copies Cohen or Nikolic.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Despite initial skepticism, the 1994 tournament drew record crowds and $50 million surplus, spurring MLS’s creation and innovations FIFA now copies worldwide.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 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 11 Mar. 2026.
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