monologue

American  

[mon-uh-lawg, -log] / ˈmɒn əˌlɔg, -ˌlɒg /

Or monolog

noun

• monologues
  plural

1. a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker.

   a comedian's monologue.

2. a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolizing a conversation.

3. any composition, as a poem, in which a single person speaks alone.

4. a part of a drama in which a single actor speaks alone; soliloquy.

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monologue British  

/ məˈnɒləɡɪst, mɒˈnɒlədʒɪ, ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡɪst, ˌmɒnəˈlɒdʒɪk, ˈmɒnəˌlɒɡ /

noun

1. a long speech made by one actor in a play, film, etc, esp when alone

2. a dramatic piece for a single performer

3. any long speech by one person, esp when interfering with conversation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monologist
  noun
• monologuist
  noun
• monology
  noun
• monologic
  adjective
• monological
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monologues
  plural

Etymology

Origin of monologue

1615–25; < French, on the model of dialogue dialogue; compare Greek monólogos speaking alone

Explanation

A monologue is a speech delivered by one person, or a long one-sided conversation that makes you want to pull your hair out from boredom. The Greek root word monologos translates to “speaking alone,” and that’s a monologue: one person doing all the talking. In theatre, sometimes a character has a monologue that they perform. You might have an internal monologue where you talk to yourself to better understand some dilemma. Some people talk forever in a constant monologue, never letting you speak. If two people talk back and forth, it’s a dialogue, which is different and probably more fun for everyone.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monologue monologues

As Tao described their inner monologue: “It’s too hard—I’m not going to try.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

In a closing monologue, Odysseus looks ahead to the collapse of the Bronze Age, imagining a future in which his world and everything that happened to him will be forgotten.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Years later, when “SNL” developed its opening monologue, it served a similar purpose.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

After a dizzying cascade of revelations about his background, he delivers an exceptionally revealing monologue that strikes some late and very welcome grace notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

June’s keeping her monologue a secret until auditions.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy

You can’t really blame them if their response to the self-absorbed internal monologues of an unreliable narrator is, Oh, boo hoo.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

So when I read it, I was like, “Oh, OK. That’s like those five-page monologues that you don’t get very often to do for one character in one episode.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

On one weekend in Tokyo, hundreds of visitors flocked to a zine fair showcasing a wide range of handmade magazines in different sizes and formats -- some incorporating abstract designs, photography or personal monologues.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

In one of his first monologues, he pointed out his boss in the audience, then-network-head Les Moonves, manning a switch that could kill Colbert’s show in favor of reruns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

Slowly, he was easing back into his monologues about Nigeria.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• discourse
• harangue
• lecture
• sermon
• soliloquy
• speech