MONKISH Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

monkish

adjective

Definition of monkish

as in ascetic

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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

Adjective

Once inside, warm, tropical breezes flow into the hotel’s ascetic, nevertheless grand lobby, wafting you towards a magical cloister filled with plants and robust Botero sculptures.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2026
Grothendieck was intense and ascetic from his early days.

— Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026

Definition of ascetic

Adjective

Ryushin, the Buddhist monk at the center of Crows Are White was keeping his identity private until completing his monastic training.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 9 July 2026
His new life was an intense crucible of monastic discipline, complex logic, and rote memorization.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026

Definition of monastic

Adjective

Communism’s pure economic theory is now rarely practiced anywhere — even if ruthless leaders in hybrid capitalist economies like China and Russia have retained the authoritarian iron fists of their predecessors.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Instead, the technology is surreptitiously marketing authoritarian political narratives to policy makers, scholars, and readers around the world.

— Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Definition of authoritarian

Adjective

These new images, however, revealed that Quest is in worse condition than previously thought, with fishing nets, floats, and other bottom-trawling gear snagged on the stern and much of the starboard side.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
People use all caps to indicate heightened emotion and avoid the formality of proper punctuation, which now seems stilted, even stern.

— Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Definition of stern

Browse Nearby Words

monkhoods

monkish

monks

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“Monkish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monkish. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of monkish

adjective

Example Sentences

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