monologue
Americannoun
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monologues
plural
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a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker.
a comedian's monologue.
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a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker, especially one dominating or monopolizing a conversation.
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any composition, as a poem, in which a single person speaks alone.
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a part of a drama in which a single actor speaks alone; soliloquy.
noun
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a long speech made by one actor in a play, film, etc, esp when alone
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a dramatic piece for a single performer
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any long speech by one person, esp when interfering with conversation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing monologue
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 3
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Reading: Literature - Drama - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
As Tao described their inner monologue: “It’s too hard—I’m not going to try.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Last year, the company stopped holding earnings conference calls with analysts—typical for public companies—opting instead to have Ishbia answer pre-gathered questions in a monologue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
It’s during a monologue in the seventh episode that we learn what haunts Wyck most: the guilt of causing his childhood friend’s drowning, which has weighed on him ever since.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I guess my interior monologue is highly interpretable to people, and if you’re standing in a store and you see somebody really thinking and thinking, they’re like, ‘She must be restocking the shelves.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
He actually got a C in theater one quarter because he didn’t do his Shakespeare monologue.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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
“The Late Show” was dubbed ”A Late Show” for a stretch when he hosted from his New Jersey residence, delivering monologues to nobody but the camera operated with help from his wife, Evie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
It has been a memorable run of shows, but there were countless interviews and monologues over the years that made Colbert and “The Late Show” a must-watch.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Olivia and Jamieson both feel the guest-host monologues didn't work for the British version of the show.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
It is quite characteristic of him at his best: well-told; several rhetorical monologues; a little essay on Love by the way.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
