monkish

[muhng-kish]

See more synonyms for monkish on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a monk: a monkish manner.

Origin of monkish

First recorded in 1540–50; monk + -ish¹

Related formsmonk·ish·ly, adverbmonk·ish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for monkish

secluded, austere, contemplative, solitary, ascetic, pastoral, ministerial, monastic, ecclesiastical, rabbinical, celibate, oblate, reclusive, monkish, canonical, ecclesiastic, holy, papal, pontifical, sacerdotal

Examples from the Web for monkish

Contemporary Examples of monkish

And I have always despised the monkish obscurity cultivated by certain academics.
How I Write: Stephen Greenblatt, Pulitzer Winner of ‘The Swerve’
Noah Charney
September 19, 2012
This makes you, at turns, desirous of luxury and monkish asceticism, as you strike a balance between the two.
The Stars Predict Your Week
Starsky + Cox
October 9, 2011

Historical Examples of monkish

At sight of John's monkish habit he started with surprise and faltered uneasily.
The Christian
Hall Caine
I took off my hat, that they might see I wore no monkish tonsure, and drank.
Sir Ludar
Talbot Baines Reed
Monkish tales to prey upon their superstition, we were taught.
The Lovely Lady
Mary Austin
He needs no dungeon keeps and monkish cells to play about in—not he!
Humorous Ghost Stories
Dorothy Scarborough
Now this is not the cold speculation of age, or monkish austerity.
The Young Man's Guide
William A. Alcott

British Dictionary definitions for monkish

monkish

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a monk or monks

Derived Formsmonkishly, adverbmonkishness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for monkish

adj.

"pertaining to a monk," 1540s, from monk (n.) + -ish. Related: Monkishly; monkishness.