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Synonyms

monkish

American  
[muhng-kish] / ˈmʌŋ kɪʃ /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a monk.

    a monkish manner.
monkish British  
/ ˈmʌŋkɪʃ /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a monk or monks

"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 monkish

First recorded in 1540–50; monk + -ish 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.

Festival organizers say they’ll have at least 350 choices on tap, including a variety of breweries that are not usually available in the Washington area, such as Toppling Goliath, the Alchemist, Threes, Monkish and Equilibrium.

From Washington Post • Sep. 26, 2018

This is Monk at his most Monkish: essential stuff.

From Slate • Dec. 13, 2012

Mr. DeJohnette sidled over to a piano to stab at some Monkish chords.

From New York Times • Aug. 29, 2010

A reserved but trenchant Moran plays with a Thelonious Monkish economy that Motian latches on to, and the performance builds from whispering beginnings to a drum-driven urgency in the later stages.

From The Guardian • Mar. 18, 2010

If any credence may be given to Monkish legends, books have sometimes been preserved in this world, only to meet a desiccating fate in the world to come.

From The Enemies of Books by Blades, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.