monosyllabic
Americanadjective
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having only one syllable, as the word no.
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having a vocabulary composed primarily of monosyllables or short, simple words.
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very brief; terse or blunt.
a monosyllabic reply.
adjective
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(of a word) containing only one syllable
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characterized by monosyllables; curt
a monosyllabic answer
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of monosyllabic
1815–25; < Medieval Latin monosyllabicus, equivalent to Late Latin monosyllab ( on ) monosyllable (< Greek monosýllabon, noun use of neuter of monosýllabos monosyllabic) + -icus -ic
Explanation
Any word or sound made up of just one syllable can be described with the adjective monosyllabic. Monosyllabic comes from the Greek prefix monos, "single," and syllabē, used to mean any collection of vocal sounds taken together to be uttered in a single breath — a syllable. You can also describe the replies or speaking style of a person who tends to talk using grunts or short words, as monosyllabic, like your cranky old grandpa's curt responses to the questions of a newly verbal toddler: "Yes," "No," "Huh?"
Vocabulary lists containing monosyllabic
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.
The lyric is built almost entirely from humble, monosyllabic words: a warm smile, a soft cheek, a laugh that wrinkles the nose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"I thought it was monosyllabic boys, going around looking at their feet and collecting information about trains."
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
It also launched the career of future Oscar-winner Jared Leto, who played Angela’s monosyllabic love interest, Jordan Catalano.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2024
Goofy, youthful, monosyllabic, here-for-a-good-time-but-not-a-long-time and above all things — exclamatory!
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2023
He had barely said a dozen words since the meeting with Raymond Andrews and my attempts at conversation had only met with a nod or a monosyllabic reply.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
