as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning
the sullen teenager would give only a monosyllabic response to even the friendliest question
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Recent Examples of monosyllabic
Daboll, who typically mutters his way through monosyllabic answers after games, raved about the character and work ethic of his team Sunday.
—
Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Eva, a monosyllabic Finn about my age who dressed in head-to-toe black, seemed uninterested in most of what was happening around her, including me.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2024
Verstappen was subsequently punished for using the F-word to describe Red Bull’s performances and reacted to his ban by delivering monosyllabic answers during FIA press conferences over the weekend.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
First appearing in 1950, in the original run of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy is the relaxed, lovable, adventurous, and monosyllabic dog of Sally and Charlie Brown.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 18 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for monosyllabic
Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Eva, a monosyllabic Finn about my age who dressed in head-to-toe black, seemed uninterested in most of what was happening around her, including me.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2024
Verstappen was subsequently punished for using the F-word to describe Red Bull’s performances and reacted to his ban by delivering monosyllabic answers during FIA press conferences over the weekend.
—Dan Cancian, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
First appearing in 1950, in the original run of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy is the relaxed, lovable, adventurous, and monosyllabic dog of Sally and Charlie Brown.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 18 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for monosyllabic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monosyllabic
Adjective
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The initiative focuses on publishing concise, high-quality species descriptions to shorten the gap between discovery and formal recognition drastically.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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The other cuts in as needed — concise, disarming, right on cue.—
Alma Rota,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And all of that offers a certain salvation, a shelter of sorts from the unjustly brief and linear time we are given.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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There will be a brief history of the Honor Wall and a dedication to the late Dan Foster, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Army and is a cofounder of the Alpine Veterans Wall of Honor.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Such rights obviously do not include summary execution at sea.—
Mary Ellen O'Connell,
The Conversation,
4 Sep. 2025
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Not surprisingly, given the risk of summary execution, many had initial doubts.—
Yossi Melman,
ProPublica,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Monosyllabic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monosyllabic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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