monstrous
Americanadjective
-
frightful or hideous, especially in appearance; extremely ugly.
-
shocking or revolting; outrageous.
monstrous cruelty.
-
extraordinarily great; huge; immense.
a monstrous building.
-
deviating grotesquely from the natural or normal form or type.
-
having the nature or appearance of a fabulous monster.
adverb
adjective
-
abnormal, hideous, or unnatural in size, character, etc
-
(of plants and animals) abnormal in structure
-
outrageous, atrocious, or shocking
it is monstrous how badly he is treated
-
huge
a monstrous fire
-
of, relating to, or resembling a monster
Related Words
See gigantic.
Other Word Forms
- monstrously adverb
- monstrousness noun
Etymology
Origin of monstrous
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word mōnstrōsus. See monster, -ous
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.
But that may have been the actor’s way of absolving himself of his monstrous off-screen behavior.
The Russian foreign ministry described the strike as a "monstrous crime against the peaceful population".
From Barron's
When “Frankenstein” was first published without Shelley’s name, and chatter about its author began to spread, an early commentary in the British Critic scorned the dissonance between Shelley’s womanhood and the novel’s monstrous narrative.
From Salon
But even with a figure as arguably monstrous as Jackson, there are complications.
From BBC
"I am outraged that this monstrous ballroom was designed and the construction of the original without any approval," another said.
From BBC
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.
