monkish

adjective

Definition of monkishnext
as in ascetic

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of monkish And also there is something a little bit, the word that comes to mind is almost monkish. — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 9 Jan. 2026 Integral, too, to Dayal’s mythology was his monkish existence. — Literary Hub, 29 Oct. 2025 The festival would know that better than most, juxtaposing classical music—and its expectation of monkish silence—with the heart of Chicago’s downtown, and the human mix therein. — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025 Obama has retreated into monkish silence, broken only for special occasions such as celebrity deaths and the recording of Bruce Springsteen podcasts. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 17 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for monkish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monkish
  1. ascetic
  2. monastic
  3. austere
  4. authoritarian
  5. strict
  6. stern
Adjective
  • And there were posters tearing apart his otherworldly self-projection as a fakir, or ascetic, depicting him in his monogrammed suits, designer sunglasses, and aircraft.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Then, over the following years, came sustainability and strict reuse and ascetic renunciation, and today, finally, its photo series and articles advocated for a mild, slightly quirky anticapitalist metaphysics.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
Definition of ascetic
Adjective
  • But the units are monastic, at least by the standards of Nashville upperclassmen, who usually live in singles or in apartments off campus.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 26 Aug. 2026
  • When the Dark Ages descended on the ancient world, Benedict of Nursia ignited a monastic revival that would establish thousands of monasteries and train generations of devoted readers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of monastic
Adjective
  • But de Havilland, who netted two Oscars for her work in the 1940s classics To Each His Own and The Heiress, was more austere.
    — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The pieces look back to Minimalism, whose austere surfaces and heavy industrial materials menace viewers with the possibility of death and doom.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of austere
Adjective
  • Mason said experts in her field do not deny the existence of authoritarian personalities on the left, but ended up developing other, less partisan scales including one based on people's values for raising children.
    — Lisa Hagen, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The second half throws us into the other timeline, where Ari’s doppelgänger, known as Ibari, is a high-ranking undercover operative willing to disappear fellow citizens that pose challenges to the authoritarian government.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of authoritarian
Adjective
  • But the choice was criticized by supporters of France’s strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating church and state.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • At the same time, these firms maintain strict climate commitments.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of strict
Adjective
  • As the Pacific Princess’ Captain Stubing, Gavin MacLeod played the stern yet beloved authority figure better than many might’ve expected, given how closely he’d become associated with comedy by that point.
    — Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The new trailer for Paper Tiger transfers this dynamic onto the scene of a rehabilitation project for New York City’s Gowanus Canal, resulting in far graver consequences than a stern talking-to from mom.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of stern

Browse Nearby Words

monkhoods
monkish
monks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Monkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkish. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All