-zilla

The combining form –zilla is used like a suffix meaning “monster.” It is very occasionally used in informal or slang terms. The suffix –zilla is often pejorative or insulting—and, because it is often used in reference to women, sexist.

The form –zilla comes from the name Godzilla, an Anglicized version of Japanese Gojira, the name given to the terrifying sea monster that destroys villages and fights giant moths. Learn what Gojira means in Japanese at our entry for Godzilla.

An example of an informal (and often disparaging) word you may have encountered that features –zilla is bridezilla, “a soon-to-be bride who is overly involved with the details of her wedding and becomes extremely self-centered, demanding, or otherwise difficult to tolerate.”

As we have seen, –zilla means “monster.” The first part of the word, bride–, refers to a recently married or soon-to-be-married woman. Bridezilla literally means “monster bride.”

What are some words that use the combining form –zilla?

• groomzilla
• momzilla
• promzilla

What are some other forms that –zilla may be commonly confused with?

• -zoa
• -zygous