monosyllabic

[ mon-uh-si-lab-ik ]

adjective
  1. having only one syllable, as the word no.

  2. having a vocabulary composed primarily of monosyllables or short, simple words.

  1. very brief; terse or blunt: a monosyllabic reply.

Origin of monosyllabic

1
1815–25; <Medieval Latin monosyllabicus, equivalent to Late Latin monosyllab(on) monosyllable (<Greek monosýllabon, noun use of neuter of monosýllabos monosyllabic) + -icus-ic

Other words from monosyllabic

  • mon·o·syl·lab·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • mon·o·syl·la·bic·i·ty [mon-uh-sil-uh-bis-i-tee], /ˌmɒn əˌsɪl əˈbɪs ɪ ti/, noun

Words Nearby monosyllabic

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How to use monosyllabic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for monosyllabic

monosyllabic

/ (ˌmɒnəsɪˈlæbɪk) /


adjective
  1. (of a word) containing only one syllable

  2. characterized by monosyllables; curt: a monosyllabic answer

Derived forms of monosyllabic

  • monosyllabically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012