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monstrous

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adverb

chiefly dialect

Synonym Chooser

How is the word monstrous different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of monstrous are prodigious, stupendous, and tremendous. While all these words mean "extremely impressive," monstrous implies a departure from the normal (as in size, form, or character) and often carries suggestions of deformity, ugliness, or fabulousness.

the monstrous waste of the project

In what contexts can prodigious take the place of monstrous?

In some situations, the words prodigious and monstrous are roughly equivalent. However, prodigious suggests a marvelousness exceeding belief, usually in something felt as going far beyond a previous maximum (as of goodness, greatness, intensity, or size).

made a prodigious effort and rolled the stone aside

Where would stupendous be a reasonable alternative to monstrous?

Although the words stupendous and monstrous have much in common, stupendous implies a power to stun or astound, usually because of size, numbers, complexity, or greatness beyond description.

a stupendous volcanic eruption

When is it sensible to use tremendous instead of monstrous?

The words tremendous and monstrous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, tremendous may imply a power to terrify or inspire awe.

the tremendous roar of the cataract

Examples 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 monstrous
Adjective
His Getty is both monstrous and emotionally isolated, walled in by a fortune that’s doomed him to misfortune. Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024 Zweig is characteristically perceptive on the subject: Obviously, a week after Hitler had come to power the idea of monstrous events such as the burning and public execration of books, to become fact a few months later, was still beyond the comprehension of broad-minded people. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 25 Nov. 2024 As the teen expounds on the monstrous acts her own father committed against her, the elderly woman suggests that Rita is not blameless in the situation. Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024 The stock has been volatile amid concerns of a slowdown following several quarters of monstrous revenue growth and lofty guidance beats. Samantha Subin, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for monstrous 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for monstrous
Adjective
  • The urgency of those concerns have already proven out, from racist algorithms wrongly landing people in jail to the many distorted abuses of digital blackface.
    Jason Parham, WIRED, 21 Nov. 2024
  • Exceptional cases of youth crime understandably dominate headlines, creating a distorted perception of public safety.
    Josh Rovner, Baltimore Sun, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • But the crossover ends there, as RoboCop is definitely not a kids movie–brutally violent, gruesome, filled with foul language, and nudity.
    Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 28 Nov. 2024
  • With one of Ohio’s largest and most gruesome homicides back in the headlines, here’s a reminder about the facts in the case and who’s who.
    Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 27 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • With the baseball world heading to Dallas for the Winter Meetings on Sunday, one gigantic question is hovering over the Yankees and the rest of the league: where will Juan Soto sign?
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Yet another, a gigantic bib of turquoise and malachite beads, yellow and white diamonds, cushion-cut yellow sapphire, and a cushion aquamarine, pays homage to the covert watch necklace with an upside-down timepiece pendant dangling at the end of it.
    Shannon Adducci, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • For many people, finding the perfect ugly Christmas sweater is an annual tradition.
    Shea Simmons, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024
  • In a Hungarian cartoon from around 1951, Churchill is seen as an ugly villain, ready to set households and factories on fire.
    Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
Adverb
  • Still, if the risks of loss of secret data may be extremely destructive (like the military), not linking your network to the Internet might work better for you.
    Zain Jaffer, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
  • This liquid is extremely lightweight yet carries its weight, smoothing and plumping skin all the while.
    Sarah Han, Allure, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Beginning in the late ’80s, an efflorescence of truth under the leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin had revealed the full extent of the Soviet Union’s horrific crimes against its own citizens.
    Leon Aron, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2024
  • The horrific, lethal, split-second impact comes in frame 313, seven rows up from the bottom and 16 frames to the right, where a burst of vertical light interrupts the horizontal flow of the terrible pictorial narrative.
    Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The program was a huge success in that most all of these prisoners successfully completed their sentence without incident.
    Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Finally, don’t miss the retailer’s flash deals, which offer huge discounts for just 24 hours at a time (no coupon required).
    Will Porter, Architectural Digest, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • The Menendez trials — the first of the two ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury — became such a sensation in part because of the hideous nature of the crime, but also because of who Lyle and Erik were.
    Jen Chaney, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2024
  • Is this just how the game unfolds each time, part of some hideous narrative doomed to repeat itself?
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near monstrous

Cite this Entry

“Monstrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monstrous. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

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