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monaural

American  
[mon-awr-uhl] / mɒnˈɔr əl /

adjective

  1. monophonic.

  2. of, relating to, or affecting one ear.


monaural British  
/ mɒˈnɔːrəl /

adjective

  1. relating to, having, or hearing with only one ear

  2. another word for monophonic

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of monaural

First recorded in 1885–90; mon- + aural 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

At Columbia, Davis decided to sell both versions of the albums at the higher stereo price, $4.79, helping lead to the demise of monaural records.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Nevertheless, while the quality of the “On Air” recordings varies considerably, and some are monaural while others are stereo, many sound remarkably crisp, clean and potent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2017

I would not say it came “pouring” through so much as “dribbling”; monaural, faded by distance, troubled by hiccupy signal dropouts.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2014

The effect was very "analog." It reminded me of switching channels on a monaural, pushbutton car radio, or watching a theatrical documentary shot on film.

From Salon ● May 23, 2011

Though the sound is monaural, it has been restored lovingly and retains much of the warmth that characterized the best of Europe's prewar 78-r.p.m. shellacs.

From Time Magazine Archive

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